Having marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Russellville resident Rev. Charles Dale said the scholarship fund established in King’s memory was a fitting way to pay tribute to this great leader.

The scholarships, which are given out by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Committee of Northwest Alabama, are something that will help students seek a better life for themselves, and according to Dale, this would be something King would be proud to be a part of.

“Dr. King was interested in the rights of all people,” Dale said.

“He was a people’s person and was concerned with helping others, regardless of their race, and that’s what these scholarships will do.”

Franklin County had two recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Scholarship – Russellville High School graduate Jenna Sornberger and Red Bay High School graduate Elizabeth Wooten.

“I am very proud of these girls and glad that they will be able to benefit from this scholarship,” Dale said.

“They will be able to better themselves through getting a higher education and that is an exciting thing.”

Sornberger said she plans to use the scholarship at the University of North Alabama where she will be studying to become a nurse anesthetist.

“This was one of the first scholarships I received, and I was so excited when I got the call,” Sornberger said.

“Every scholarship helps, but it was special to receive this particular scholarship because of the history behind it and because of who it honors.

“My grandparents were strong civil rights supporters, and it makes me proud to have received this scholarship.”

Wooten said she planned to use the scholarship at Northwest-Shoals Community College in Phil Campbell where she will take her basic course classes before transferring to a four-year university to pursue a degree in either special education or veterinary medicine.

“I love helping people, and Dr. King helped so many people during his life,” Wooten said.

“People who are leaders like he was are very inspiring, and it was an honor to receive this scholarship.

“I don’t have any other form of financial aid, so each scholarship I applied for was important to me. This scholarship will help me continue my education and achieve the goals I have set for myself.”