Middleburg Student Named First Eura Lewis Scholarship Winner

Middleburg Student Named First Eura Lewis Scholarship Winner

Maxwell Garrett Humphrey of Middleburg, a senior at Loudoun Valley High School, has been named the winner of the first Eura Lewis Memorial Scholarship established this year by the Middleburg Library Advisory Board (MLAB).

Merley Lewis, the daughter of the late Eura Lewis, presents a check to Maxwell Humphrey of Middleburg, the first recipient of the Eura Lewis Scholarship awarded by the Middleburg Library Advisory Board. Maxwell will be a freshman at the University of Virginia in the fall.

Photo by Leonard Shapiro

The $5,500 scholarship is named for Eura Lee Hudgins Lewis of Middleburg, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 92. She was a long-time member of the advisory board, a devoted school teacher for 40 years and a former Middleburg Town Council member.

The board also awarded honorable mention $1,000 Eura Lewis scholarships to Jacob Thomas of Ashburn, a freshman at James Madison University, Winley Turner of Middleburg, a senior at Foxcroft, and Paul Basinger of Middleburg, a senior at Loudoun Valley.

In addition, Winley and Paul were awarded a $1,500 Charles Plante Book Scholarship, also established by the MLAB in 2019 in honor of Charles L. Plante of Middleburg, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 84. Only current high school students were eligible for the Plante scholarship.

Max Humphrey has been accepted and will attend the University of Virginia next year. At Loudoun Valley, he’s a member of the National Honor Society, was a starter on the varsity lacrosse team and is a candidate for an Eagle Scout. He also has an impressive community service resume, including volunteering at the Seven Loaves food bank.

All the scholarship recipients were honored at a reception at the Middleburg Library on May 17.

The recipients were: Paul Basinger, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship plus $1000 Eura Lewis Honorable Mention; Tyler Clites, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Chloe Cook, Marshall, Fauquier High School, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Brianna Dillmuth, Purcellville, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Maxwell Humphrey, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $5500 Eura Lewis Scholarship; William McGroddy, Middleburg, Loudoun Valley, $1500 Plante Scholarship; Aris Roberts, Middleburg, Highland School,$1500 Plante Scholarship; Jacob Thomas, Ashburn, James Madison University, $1000 Eura Lewis Honorable Mention; Winley Turner, Middleburg, Foxcroft, $1500 Plante Scholarship plus $1000 Eura Lewis Honorable Mention.

Eura Lewis, a long-time teacher in the Fauquier County public schools, served on the Board of the MLAB for many years. She was extremely active in both her church and her community and served on many missions and boards, including the Middleburg Town Council, where she served for 12 years. While running for local office her slogan was “Making a Difference,” and everything she was involved in centered on that theme.

Charles Plante devoted his professional life to promoting public causes, especially for the infirmed. He was most proud of his roles in expanding Medicare, the End Stage Renal Disease program (ESRD), the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, his role in the founding of United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), and his life long support of neurosurgery.

He also served on the MLAB for many years. The scholarship named in his honor is intended to recognize his lasting legacy to those who intersected with him and the millions who benefitted from his quiet good works. The scholarship awards are designated for college textbooks for students recognized for academic achievement, community service and their love of literature.