by Julie Lineback
Mr. Dewey Everette Teal ‘51 and Dr. Ramona Pierce Teal ‘66 ‘73 ‘84 generously contributed to the University of West Georgia in memory of the life and legacy of Mr. and Mrs. L.E. Teal. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a graduate of Mt. Zion High School and is renewable as long as a 2.5 GPA is maintained.
L.E. Teal was born in Heard County, Georgia in 1896, and his wife Jimmie Lee Windom Teal was born in Mt. Zion Georgia in 1903. Beginning in the late 1930s, they lived and farmed in the Mt. Zion community, cultivating not only the land, but also their children’s future.
Each of their children received post-secondary education after high school. Some signed up for business courses and became secretaries. Others attended then-West Georgia College. Several continued beyond that and received graduate degrees in pharmacy, business administration, and psychology.
“Our students really appreciate a helping hand,” said Senior Associate Director of Development Nichole Fannin. “A lot of them work very hard and have to cross over some heavy hurdles to get their education. The students from Mt. Zion are going to have a wonderful opportunity that you’re going to help them achieve their dreams.”
All of it can be traced back to a hardworking farmer and his equally persevering wife in rural Georgia.
“They were wonderful people,” Dr. Teal concluded. “We just want to honor them for their lives well lived with an emphasis on education.”
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