Rocky Mount, N.C.—Thanks to the generosity and planning of a former North Carolina Wesleyan College trustee and his wife, Wesleyan recently added $250,000 from the estate of William K. Stewart, Jr. and Mary Lee B. Stewart to the scholarship fund that the couple established in their names in 1971.
 

William Stewart, a native of Wilmington, N.C., and previous co-owner of Andrews Mortuary, was a devoted Methodist and a graduate of The Citadel. He served Wesleyan as an active trustee from 1975-1991 and was honored with trustee emeritus status in 1992. He died in 1999.
 

His wife, Mary Lee B. Stewart, shared her husband’s enthusiasm for helping students achieve a quality education. She taught home economics and headed up the Home Economics Department of the New Hanover County school system in the 1940s. Together the Stewarts elected to add to their scholarship at Wesleyan by including the College in their estate planning.
 

“Mrs. Stewart passed away last March,” said Malcolm Woodall, Wesleyan’s vice president of development. “We knew that the Stewarts had included the College in their will, but we did not know the amount of the gift until recently. Wesleyan is very grateful for the generosity of the Stewarts. The funds they have added to their scholarship will make it possible for additional deserving students to benefit from a Wesleyan education, and that is exactly what Mr. and Mrs. Stewart wanted.”