Criteria

Graduates from Blowing Rock area or Watauga County high schools who satisfy the qualifications of need, academic achievement and religious commitment.

About Mary Banks and F. Gwyn Harper

The Mary Banks and F. Gwyn Harper Scholarship Fund was created to honor and remember Hickory attorney Gwyn Harper and his wife Mary Banks Harper. The Harpers raised four daughters, three of whom were involved in the arts, and the family led lives of service to the Hickory community.

Daughter Anne Bernhardt said her parents believed that education was important to the growth of every individual and sent their daughters to college so they could pursue their dreams.

The Harpers loved the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the family spent summers hiking and picnicking in the area where they also attended Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church.

As a young man, Gwyn had worked as a golf caddy in Blowing Rock, and golf became a lifelong passion for him. Bernhardt said, “Although Daddy always had a Sunday golf game, he refused to play until after the church service!”