L-R: Classmate Billy Edd Wheeler, Alma Shippy, and fellow WWC alumnus, Rodney Lytle.
Once upon a time on the campus of Warren Wilson College in the quiet, beautiful Swannanoa Valley on a late summer day in 1952, Alma Shippy stepped out of a friend's pick-up truck onto campus to begin school. Many WWC students have done just that, but Alma's quiet step onto campus was a huge footprint in history.
Coming to school that first day like any other, Alma and WWC broke the racial divide in the old Confederacy as one of the first undergraduate institutions to desegregate. No police or National Guard were present for protection and escort. There were no court orders to mandate desegregation because this happened a full two years before the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision. Instead, there was just a college community that wanted to see an injustice righted and a friend who many knew--Alma--brave enough to take the chance.
In his memory, the Alma Shippy Memorial Scholarship will commemorate his legacy of making Warren Wilson an inclusive and diverse community. Started by his friends and classmates, the scholarship will give today's WWC students an opportunity to attend Warren Wilson who might not otherwise have the chance because of their financial situation.
An anonymous donor has generously offered to match all alumni and friends gifts, up to $12,500, helping bring this scholarship closer to reality. Our immediate goal is $25,000 to initially endow this scholarship. As of October 11, 2007, $4,555 has been received which means $7,945 remains to meet the match and fully fund this scholarship.
If you would like to support this scholarship:
Office of Advancement
Attn: Alma Shippy Scholarship
WWC CPO 6376
P.O. Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815-9000