Rance Lee Spellman (1946-1982) Memorial Endowed Scholarship

The Rance Lee Spellman Memorial Endowed Scholarship honors a man who lived his beliefs in stewardship of the land, preservation of farming, and mastering of its essential skills. Rance also believed in the human protection of animals and birds.

Rance returned from the Vietnam War to run his family farm and construction business in Culpeper County, Virginia. After the death of his parents, he became foreman of Points of View Farm in Rappahannock County, Virginia. There he transformed the abandoned apple orchard and cattle farm into a productive and handsome registered cow/calf operation.

After his tragic and sudden death in 1982, his employer, Patricia Saltonstall, established this award in Rance’s memory to foster the recognition and development of farming skills and support services. The Rance Lee Spellman Memorial Award was the first endowment of the Educational Foundation. This annual award was established for the benefit of students seeking to develop the skills necessary to achieve successful productivity in the demanding and vanishing field of family farming.

The following criteria must be met to be eligible for the Spellman Scholarship:

• Complete the scholarship application
• Be a full- or part-time student
• Submit an essay: “Please share your personal interest and experience in agriculture and/or farming and explain your academic and career goals.”

Preference is given (but not required) to students who:

• Intend to earn an Associate Degree in Science, with an agricultural science specialization
• Have successfully completed at least one course (AGR 141, 142, 143) toward the agricultural science specialization of the Associate Degree in Science
• Demonstrate financial need