Purpose

To promote continuing education for pursuing a career as an educator by awarding scholarships for attendance at institutions of higher education to individuals who demonstrate financial need, academic achievement, and community involvement.

Background

Edna Cain graduated from Longwood College and began her teaching career in a high school in Texas, where her husband was stationed in the Air Force. When they returned to Virginia, she taught one year at the elementary level in Dinwiddie County, then took a cut in pay ($100) to teach in Prince George County for $2,700 a year. She was offered a job teaching English or history at the high school, teaching fifth grade at Walton Elementary School or fifth grade at Carson Elementary School. Living across the road from the school in Carson, she accepted that job and remained there 35 years, until she was transferred to Beazley Elementary School in Prince George. Graduate studies in economics revealed the great need for teaching economics to young children, who always loved to learn how the world worked and needed an economic knowledge foundation. Mrs. Cain was an enthusiastic supporter of economic education for children and received awards for and recognition for the economic projects her students did. In 1996, she was asked to be the program director for the Center for Economic Education at Virginia State University. For the next eight years, she provided economic workshops for teachers in an area from Colonial Heights to Southampton County in about ten counties and four cities both at Virginia State and for in-service presentations at the schools. This was the time when the Standards of Learning were being implemented and there was a great need for the knowledge the teachers needed to teach economics and to provide the materials they lacked. She wrote lessons in economics for elementary teachers and provided these to teachers across the state and also presented workshops at state and national conferences. After fifty years of teaching, she retired in 2004. She continued to visit classrooms and help teachers prepare students for the economics of the SOL tests.

Two of her daughters, Debra Trexler and Leslie Allin, are teachers in Prince George County and another daughter, Joy Burroughs, is controller for the Bank of Southside Virginia. She has 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

She has served as a volunteer missionary in Antigua, China, Mexico, Panama and for multiple years in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, New York, New Jersey, and Arizona. Serving as mission coordinator at her church, participating in community activities, and being available for her children and grandchildren keeps her busy. She represents Prince George County on the Crater Health District Advisory Board.

Policy

The scholarship program is available to seniors or graduates of Prince George High School or a senior attending Appomattox Regional Governor’s School or Maggie Walker Governor’s School who would have attended Prince George High School. Student interns working for John Randolph Foundation are eligible to apply; however, Foundation trustees, other Foundation employees and their immediate families (parents, spouses, brothers, sisters, and anyone claimed as a dependent for tax purposes) are not eligible to apply. Please visit www.johnrandolphfoundation.org and click on the scholarship link for more information.

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• Express a need and desire for continued education and wish to pursue a career as an educator;
• Be a well-rounded individual with extracurricular activities;
• Demonstrate scholastic achievement;
• Demonstrate active participation in the community;
• Provide verification of financial need;
• Meet the remaining criteria as outlined in the application guidelines;
• Submit a completed “John Randolph Foundation Scholarship Application” ONLINE to include the required documents which must be uploaded with the application.