Treadway scholarship announced in Union, Barbourville partnership

During the recent Barbourville Board of Education’s Meet and Greet event, news was shared of a new scholarship opportunity to recognize the legacy of service of former school board member Mr. Shirley “Buck” Treadway. Mr. Treadway served as a school board member for Barbourville Independent Schools from 1961 until 2017, making him the longest serving school board member in the United States. Mr. Treadway was also a graduate of Union College and along with his brother Don, owned Treadway Brother’s Hardware for several decades.

The Shirley “Buck” Treadway Memorial Scholarship for Future Kentucky Educators is designed to increase the number of local high schools who chose P-12 teaching as a career. The scholarship, which is funded through the contribution of one monthly board meeting stipend by each school board member, will be awarded to a Barbourville Independent School graduating senior beginning in April 2025. The student must be pursuing an education degree/certification at Union Commonwealth University in order to be eligible to apply. In the event that there is not a student who meets all criteria of the scholarship opportunity, the Board of Education has the option of awarding the scholarship to a graduating senior who is pursuing another program at Union Commonwealth University.

During the announcement of the scholarship, Union Commonwealth University Interim President, Dr. DJ Washington announced that Union will match the scholarship up to $2,500 each year that it is awarded. Dr. Washington expressed his appreciation to both the Board and its school district for supporting both Union and local students. “It says a lot about the commitment of the Board to both the success of its students and the Board’s support of Union Commonwealth University by choosing to honor Mr. Treadway in this manner.” said Dr. Washington. “Union is grateful to each of you for this commitment.” 

“I don’t think there is a more fitting tribute to Buck’s legacy of service to our district than by providing opportunities for our students to enter the teaching profession.” Said Dr. Jason Reeves, one of the five members helping to fund the scholarship each year. “The  fact that we are able to do so in partnership with another deeply rooted educational provider in our community, like Union Commonwealth University, makes this tribute even more meaningful to us.”

Barbourville Independent Superintendent Dennis Messer added that he believes this is just the beginning of collaboration opportunities between the district and Union. “Since his arrival, Dr. Washington has actively sought out opportunities to find common ground between Union and our schools. It has been a welcomed occurrence to talk about future avenues for collaboration with him. This scholarship is hopefully the first of many more to come.”