The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation was established in 1946 by a devoted son who sought to honor his mother by assisting the higher education of young women across the southeastern United States. And for almost 40 of the 64 years that the Foundation has existed, some of their funds have been directed to assist young women to attend Montreat College.
Dr. Dan Struble, the President of Montreat College, hailed the gift, saying "Thanks to the generous support of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, more young women will have the opportunity of a quality, Christ-centered education."
When Conkey Pate Whitehead created the foundation which honors his mother, he dictated that the primary purpose of the charity would be to advance the education of needs-based and “deserving Christian girls” in nine select states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia among others. More than 200 institutions participate annually in the Whitehead scholarship program, with thousands of women receiving assistance each year.
And since 1971, there have been a number of women at Montreat College who have been very happy that North Carolina was one of those the Whiteheads desired to assist. One such student is Kayla Newsom, a junior from Mocksville majoring in Communication, who states that “The Whitehead Scholarship certainly has helped with the expenses of college. It's always reassuring to know that someone is willing and able to help out.”
Information on the full work done by the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation can be found at www.lpwhitehead.org, including its particular interest in health education and ministry to the elderly and those in hospice.