Longtime citizens of Catawba County Alfred Leroy “A.L.” and Atha Setzer were known for their hard work and service to their community.

In 2017, following A.L.’s passing, the Setzer’s three children established this scholarship to honor and to share the blessings and legacy of their late parents. The A.L. and Atha Setzer Scholarship supports Bunker Hill High School in Claremont, N.C., in providing scholarships to graduates with a minimum 3.0 GPA and demonstrated financial need.

Even though both A.L. and Atha graduated from high school, they were unable to further their education due to its cost and the hard times during World War II.

“Our parents were such hard workers – they set such an example for the three of us,” said daughter LaDonna Setzer Bost. “They always told us that we were going to go to college and get an education. We were fortunate to be able to go to college with their help.” Bost and siblings Rick Setzer and Brenda Setzer Coker, are college graduates and all became teachers. 

As they proudly shared, there was nothing that their father A.L. could not fix, modify or invent. When he died, they put money aside to found this scholarship and they want the funds to go to Bunker Hill High School graduates who have good grades and demonstrate financial need. They hope that students can learn to be multi-talented and resourceful like their father.

“We want to honor mom and dad and what they stood for – they were middle-class people who served the Lord, the people, and the community,” Bost said. “We look forward to hearing the wonderful things these scholarship awardees do with their education and lives.”

Scholarship-giving can change a student’s life – the siblings hope to inspire other donors for scholarships in the future.

For information about applying for this scholarship contact Bunker Hill High School.