Virginia Mae Everett was born in 1904 in Muskingum County, the second of five children in an agriculturally focused family. Her mother died in 1914 before her tenth birthday, and when her father remarried, she gained two additional stepsiblings.

It was likely the events in her youth that shaped her perspective on the world. Virginia went on to become a teacher through Zanesville City Schools, starting in 1938 as a teacher for the visually impaired. She taught at other schools throughout the district in her 32 years of education, including Locust Grove, a two-room schoolhouse that was near the current Ohio University Zanesville campus, and the former Monroe Street Elementary School.

According to Amy Kennedy, a great niece, Virginia was keenly aware of the students who needed extra attention. “She had a soft spot for kids with challenging circumstances,” said Amy in a written statement, noting that Virginia was known for taking individual students on shopping trips, and teaching enrichment activities such as knitting and social etiquette.

At the same time, Virginia was a student herself; as a life-long learner she never passed an opportunity to read more, take a “class” on something new, travel, or attend any fine art event or an opera. She was an advocate of any kind of education and admired people who strove for excellence, even more so than the people who may have achieved it.

Virginia died in 2002 at the age of 98, having outlived three husbands and all of her siblings. She was the rock of the Everett family and was well loved and respected. Her passion for living and staying active until her passing did not go unnoticed by her surviving family members.

To honor the legacy of their matriarch and her support of any type of educational endeavors, the members of the Everett family have established the Virginia Everett Schultz Memorial Endowed Vocational Scholarship, a new scholarship fund at MCCF for students planning to pursue full-time study at a vocational-technical school or two or four-year college. The plan is to award three $1,000 scholarships annually to students planning a career in a trade.

Eligible applicants include high school seniors, high school graduates (or GED equivalent), or undergraduates with a minimum 2.0 GPA who plan to pursue a degree or certificate in trade fields. Examples include construction, cosmetology, dental hygiene, motor/power sector, mechanics, or technology. Preference will be given to undergraduate applicants and/or applicants from Muskingum County high schools including East Muskingum, Franklin, Maysville, Tri-Valley, West Muskingum, and Zanesville.

Virginia never wasted one minute of her long life, and the family hopes her desire to constantly learn is demonstrated by the recipients of this scholarship.