Lee University has awarded 23 women scholarships for the 2012-13 school year. The scholarships were funded by a grant from the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, a Georgia non-profit organization which is dedicated to the support of outstanding women in financial need from nine southeastern states.  

Lee was able to choose 23 young women to receive this scholarship of $2,000 each. In accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, scholarships were awarded to women who reside in one of nine specified southeastern states. Recipients were chosen primarily on the basis of need, with consideration given to academic merit and character. 

Mrs. Lettie Pate Whitehead, for whom the foundation is named, was born in Virginia in 1872. In the year 1895 she married Joseph Brown Whitehead and the two settled in Chattanooga, Tenn. In 1899 Mr. Whitehead and an associate approached The Coca-Cola Company with the idea of bottling the popular beverage. The two businessmen secured a contract and soon began bottling and selling Coca-Cola throughout the United States. 

Upon Mr. Whitehead’s death in 1906, Mrs. Whitehead assumed responsibility for the family’s many business affairs. She became one of the first women to serve on the board of directors of a major American corporation. 

Along with her legacy as a successful business woman, Mrs. Whitehead also left a legacy of generosity. Throughout her life she supported dozens of charities and educational programs and was seen as a leader in her community. The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation aims to inspire women to stand out as leaders in their communities and to support them in their quest for education. 

There was a reception held in honor of this year’s 23 recipients in the John Nichols room at Lee University on Aug. 27, 2012. 

This year’s recipients include: Taylor Bailey, Tyrone, Ga.; Nicole Dayton, Franklin, Tn.; Kendra Hause, Yorktown, Va.; Danielle Simone King, Acworth, Ga.; Chatelle Kleinhans, Friendsville, Tn.; Jessica Langstaff, Charleston, Tn.;  Sara Lee, Chattanooga.;  Rachel Lesler, Knoxville; Corinne McDonald, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Danielle McNiel, Christiansburg, Va.; Sara Ownbey, Cleveland, Tn.; Danae Pick, Port St. Lucy, Fla.; Rachel Pioth, Soddy Daisy.; Amanda Potter, Yorktown, Va.;  Jordan Prater, Old Fort, Tn.; Amanda Reynolds, Stuart, Fla.; Brittany Swallows, Ocoee, Tn.; Jera Lee Swinson, Knoxville.; Miranda Thompson, Lagrange, Ga.; Madeline Watson, Black Mountain, N.C.; Sieta Weisman, Knoxville.; Camellia Wilson, Loganville, Ga.; Judith Woolridge, Cleveland, Tn.

For more information about the Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship, please contact Lee’s Office of Admissions  at 614-8500.

Pictured here are 11 of the recipients (back row, l to r) Wilson, Lee, Reynolds, Langstaff, Potter; (front row, l to r) McDonald, King, Ownbey, Swinson, Bailey, Pick