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The Greensville/Southampton Hokie Club and Alumni Chapter held its annual Moses Clements Scholarship Dinner on Aug. 7 at the Golden Leave Commons in Emporia, with more than 100 local Hokies in attendance. 

A club and chapter news release stated that during the dinner, eight local students who are heading off to Blacksburg this fall as freshmen were each awarded a $500 scholarship and gift card to the Virginia Tech campus bookstore. 

The scholarship recipients included Riley Araojo, Chloe Bunn, Mary Conner, Ashtyn Dunn, Henry Moore, Uraius Obey, Wyatt Roach and Ethan Skinner.

During the last 26-plus years, the Emporia Chapter has provided more than $55,000 in scholarships to local students starting their college experience at Virginia Tech. The scholarship program is named in memory of a beloved local Hokie, Moses Clements, for his years of dedicated work for the local Virginia Tech scholarship program.

An additional scholarship was awarded to four of the students in honor of lifelong Hokie fan Malcolm “Mack” King, of Emporia. Mack was a Virginia Tech graduate who actively served the local Hokie Club chapter as well as his community. The scholarship was presented by Mack’s daughter, Michelle Edmonds, who plans on continuing to provide scholarships, in honor of her father, to students from Emporia who are heading off to Virginia Tech. 

Also in attendance were special guests Erich Horner, associate director of major gifts for the Virginia Tech Hokie Club, and Mike Burnop, Virginia Tech hall of fame analyst and former tight end.

Horner provided attendees with an update on the Hokie Club and Virginia Tech Athletic Fund. Then Burnop, who has been in the booth for the Hokies for 40 years, provided a preview on how fall practice for the Virginia Tech football team was going and gave insight on what the team needs to do this year to have a successful season under Head Coach Brent Pry.

The evening concluded with an exciting 50/50 raffle and silent auction that contained items signed by College Football Hall of Fame Coach Frank Beamer, new Virginia Tech Football Coach Brent Pry, and the 2022 ACC Championship Coach Mike Young.

The Greensville/Southampton Hokie Club and Alumni Chapter concluded the release by wishing the best of luck to this year’s scholarship recipients and all Hokies heading back to campus this fall.