Elizabeth Ann Jackson Wilhelm Scholarship Endowment

Criteria

Eligible applicants are graduating seniors at Tarboro High School who are students of strong academic achievement, have participated in school and community activities, are recognized by teachers as being cooperative and well-rounded, and have been accepted at an accredited university, college, junior college or community college as undergraduate students.

About Elizabeth Ann Jackson Wilhelm

Elizabeth Ann Jackson Wilhem grew up in Tarboro where she was raised by her loving extended family. Known to most as Liz, her grandmother would use her family nickname of “Sugar Plum” to call her home from the Tarboro Central Green where she played with other children.

A cheerleader at Tarboro High School, Liz graduated in 1953 and attended East Carolina University. She met husband Bill Wilhelm in 1960 and during their 56-year marriage they lived in Virginia, New Jersey, and Georgia before retiring to Williamsburg, Virginia. No matter where they lived, Liz loved to return to Tarboro annually to meet with classmates and friends. She was known to stop in the middle of Main Street to greet and hug them.

Known for accepting everyone without hesitating to tell people if they were not being their best self, Liz enjoyed bridge, traveling, and home decorating. She decorated each of the three homes she and Bill built together. Their Williamsburg home, and its surrounding grounds, are known for their exceptional beauty and serve as a lasting representation of her talent and personality.

Bill Wilhelm established the scholarship in memory of his beloved wife after she passed away in July of 2020 at age 85.