Ph ot o by G l en M cC l u re
Dyer Triplets Win Morgan Scholarships Imagine sending three children to college at the same time. That’s the reality for the Dyer family of Virginia Beach with triplets Sam, Luke and Abby. Tuition, room and board total more than $90,000 a year. “It really is daunting when you think about paying for all three at the same time,” says Marnie Dyer, the triplets’ mother. Not being able to attend college was never a question for the triplets. “We always said ‘when you go to college,’” Marnie says. But she and her husband Patrick were open about the fact that paying for college would be a family hardship. They encouraged the triplets to do what they could to help. Sam, Luke and Abby took the request seriously. They got good grades at Floyd E. Kellam High School, worked as summer lifeguards and in a pottery shop, and applied for scholarships. Their hard work paid off when all three received scholarships from the Perry and Bunny Morgan Fund at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Their scholarships are renewable for four years of study. Marnie was surprised each of her children won a foundation scholarship. “I can’t tell you how helpful it is,” she says. The Dyer triplets are among 383 college students receiving more than $1.2 million this year from 70 different foundation scholarship funds. While the foundation has had twins receive scholarships in past years, this is the first time a complete set of triplets has done so. The scholarships take “a load off our parents for sure, and that’s what we always try to do,” says Sam, the oldest of the triplets. “We’re just so thankful that we were given this opportunity.” Luke, who is two minutes younger than Sam, and sister Abby agree. Sam, Luke and Abby are in their second year of college and are
Courtesy photo
Perry and Bunny Morgan
Abby, Luke and Sam Dyer are Kellam High graduates.
excited about taking classes in their majors. Sam and Luke attend William & Mary where Sam majors in chemistry and Luke in computer science. Abby is a double major in studio art and historic preservation at the University of Mary Washington. “I’m really proud of them,” says Marnie. “I can’t wait to see what they become.”
Morgans Help 181 Scholarship Recipients ................................................................................
Perry Morgan was a Georgia sharecropper’s son, World War II veteran, former Virginian-Pilot publisher and local philanthropist who never forgot how the GI Bill helped him go to college. Before his death in 1999, he arranged for a charitable bequest to the community foundation that would help others in his name and his late wife Bunny’s. The Perry and Bunny Morgan Fund provides student scholarships, supports area human services nonprofits and benefits the arts. Since 2000, the Morgans’ generosity has provided $1 million in scholarships to help 181 area Morgan Scholars pay for college at 23 institutions. Most scholarships were renewed for four years of study. This year there are 42 Morgan Scholars, including the three Dyer triplets.
To donate to the Perry and Bunny Morgan Fund, visit http://bit.ly/MorganFund
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