NCCF scholarship endowment honors “quiet givers” after Watauga County tragedy
The deaths of George and Michelle Ligon in 2021 shocked and saddened Watauga County and earned widespread media attention.
But George’s three surviving siblings have turned that heartbreak into motivation by creating a scholarship endowment with the North Carolina Community Foundation to ensure the Ligons have a legacy that will live on.
The Ligons were well-respected and generous Watauga County residents. “A lot of the locals all knew George and Michelle,” remembered Wendell Ligon, George’s brother. “They were both real giving people.”
They regularly contributed money to the local nonprofit Quiet Givers, which takes anonymous donations to support needs for other nonprofits, schools and community organizations in Watauga, Ashe and Avery counties. “They didn’t want the glory,” said Rachel Bradley, George’s sister. “They wanted to be giving in the background.”
Michelle volunteered and focused on issues that affected the community like food insecurity and affordable housing. “George was very much about noticing people right around him who were struggling and leaving a bag of groceries on their doorstep or helping them move out of an abusive situation,” said Wendell Ligon.
George and Michelle’s desire to provide quiet assistance was also happening in their own home. Isaac Barnes, Michelle’s son from a previous marriage, had lived in their house intermittently while he struggled with mental health conditions. Few people knew other than close family members and local law enforcement.
In April 2021, Isaac killed George, Michelle and two sheriff’s deputies before he killed himself after a stand-off at George and Michelle’s Boone home.
“I think [George and Michelle] did everything they could,” said Lucy Heffelfinger, George’s sister. “I’m sure Michelle never really believed [Isaac] would turn violent the way he did.”
After a time of mourning, George’s siblings “wanted to bring something positive that would bear fruit out of all the tragedy,” said Heffelfinger.
“We all felt like one of the best ways we could honor their memory would be to live similarly, to be our best givers,” said Bradley.
In 2024, they set up the George and Michelle Ligon Scholarship Endowment at NCCF. The fund will support graduating seniors from Watauga High School who plan to attend a two- or four-year college or a trade school. The first scholarship will be awarded in 2025.
“We want to give [the scholarship] to someone who would go out of their way to help somebody else, even if they’re a ‘C’ student,” said Bradley.
Wendell Ligon appreciated the ease of working with NCCF on creating the endowment. “[NCCF has] been great as far as managing it. It’s got some capital in it, and we’re able to continue using that as a scholarship fund for forever,” he said.
All three of George’s siblings believe he would have found humor in a scholarship being named after him. “George found out on graduation day whether or not he would graduate high school. It came down to a final test,” Bradley recalled.
“He was not the ‘A+’ student,” added Wendell Ligon. “He was pretty mischievous, but he had a big heart.”
“He was a class clown,” said Heffelfinger. “But I think he would be really thrilled that [their] giving is not going to end just because their lives did.”