Southside Soil and Water Conservation District scholarships
Published 9:49 am Wednesday, October 24, 2018
- Scholarship recipient, Ben Whitlow, pictured with Southside SWCD Board of Directors, from left, Mark Palmer, Buck Tharpe, Whitlow, Lindy Fimon, Eugene Wells and Davey Ferrell.
The Southside Soil and Water Conservation District awarded the Joe and Helen Vaden Educational Scholarship to two deserving students in May.
The scholarship is named in memory of Joe Vaden and his wife, Helen. During World War II, Joe served under General George Patton in the Italian Campaign. After his tour of duty, he went to work as a soil scientist for the USDA where he mapped the soils in Charlotte County. When he was promoted to the State Agronomist, he had to leave his home county of Charlotte and relocate to Richmond. Upon his retirement, he returned to Keysville and served on the Southside Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors for many years. He believed that education is essential to preserving the environment and wanted to pass the torch to another generation of conservationists. His wife, Helen, supported Joe’s love of conservation.
The 2018 co-winners of the Joe and Helen Vaden Educational Scholarship are Ben Whitlow of Charlotte County and Eli Hall of Lunenburg County.
