After serving his country as a Marine Corps officer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy George Van Sant was a dedicated faculty member at Mary Washington for over three decades, earning the Grellet C. Simpson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1986.
When he passed away in 2013, Professor Van Sant’s own life insurance policy helped fund the Dr. George Van Sant Scholarship, established by friends, colleagues, and former students, led by Marsha Lynn Wilkins ’62, who also set up an endowment for the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion in honor of her late professor.
“Receiving this scholarship alleviates the financial burden and allows me to concentrate fully on my education,” said Martina Nicholson ’25, a philosophy: pre-law and communication and digital studies major. “Being given the opportunity to learn about the evolution of human thought and progress has further fueled my passion for law and journalism.”
Martina Nicholson has also been the recipient of the Marjorie Jean Frost ’44 and Sylvia McJilton Woodcock ’61 scholarships and the Penelope Ann Parrish Internship in Journalism. She was also named the 2025 recipient of the Grace Mann Launch Award at the annual Eagle Awards ceremony.
Visit umwheritage.org to learn more about establishing scholarships. For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.
-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 for the Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025
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