The Chad Hawkins Education Foundation recently donated $ 50,000 to the Cardinal Foundation at Gadsden State Community College for a scholarship fund to benefit sophomores in the nursing program, according to a press release.

The scholarship is named after Chad Hawkins, who died in 2004, the statement said. Hawkins was born in Big Wills Valley in 1914 and was orphaned at the age of 11. He was the quarterback and captain of the Collinsville High School football team as well as his class’s co-warrant officer.

After graduating from Newberry College in South Carolina on a football scholarship, he returned to Alabama. He received an MA from the University of Alabama and an Education Specialist degree from Auburn University.

Hawkins later coached football and was principal of several high schools across the state before returning to Collinsville to become principal of his alma mater. At the behest of Governor George Wallace, Hawkins led the establishment of Gadsden State Junior College in 1965, where he served as Dean of Academics for 20 years.

Hawkins’ daughter Lynn King said her father took it upon himself to serve others his entire life, the statement said.

“Her greatest joy was seeing others succeed and providing them with the encouragement and support needed to keep them on the path to prosperity,” she said.

“He never complained about the hardships he faced in his youth,” said another of his daughters, Fran Hawkins. “Instead, he sought to be an inspiration and a positive influence on everyone he came in contact with.”

Upon Hawkins’ retirement, a scholarship was established by Gadsden State College, students and friends in his honor, which will continue to help students receive an education, the statement said.

The Cardinal Foundation will begin accepting applications in the spring for students interested in attending Gadsden State during the summer semester.

“The creation of the Chad Hawkins Fellowship could not have come at a better time,” said Mark Condra, President of the Cardinal Foundation. “According to the American Nurses Association, more RN jobs will be available through 2022 than any other profession in the United States. According to a Nursing Times article, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 11 million more nurses are needed to avert another shortage.

Condra said the Cardinal Foundation board appreciates the Hawkins family’s donation.

“The Hawkins family are not only a generous donor, but staunch friends of Gadsden State and its mission,” he said.

For more information on the Cardinal Foundation, visit www.gadsdenstate.edu/cardinalfoundation.