Middleburg Advisory Board Awards Scholarships

The Board awarded Sarah Crouch of Delaplane and Beatrice VanSant of Middleburg $3,000 Plante Scholarships.

Miranda Ruelas Orozco, a 2024 graduate of Loudoun Valley High School, has been awarded the Eura Lewis Memorial Scholarship established by the Middleburg Library Advisory Board (MLAB).

The $6,000 scholarship is named for Eura Lee Hudgins Lewis of Middleburg, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 92.  She was a long-time member of the advisory board, a devoted school teacher for 40 years and a former Middleburg Town Council member.

The board also awarded Sarah Crouch of Delaplane and Beatrice VanSant of Middleburg $3,000 Plante Scholarships and Winley Turner of Middleburg a $2,000 Plante Scholarship.

The Plante scholarships were established by the MLAB in 2019 in honor of Charles L. Plante of Middleburg,  who passed away in 2016 at the age of 84.

Miranda, who lives in Upperville, plans to study dental hygiene at Laurel Ridge Community College, then earn her bachelor’s degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Beatrice, a 2024 graduate of Highland School, will enroll in a pre-vet program at the University of Georgia and aspires to be a large animal veterinarian.        

Sarah graduated from Fauquier High School in 2024 and earned her associate’s degree in cybersecurity while also completing her high school curriculum. She plans to attend a local university.

Winley, a 2023 Foxcroft graduate, is a rising sophomore at the University of Tennessee studying supply chain management.

Eura Lewis, a long-time teacher in the Fauquier County public schools, served on the Board of the MLAB for many years. She was extremely active in both her church and her community and served on many missions and boards, including the Middleburg Town Council, where she served for 12 years. While running for local office her slogan was “Making a Difference,” and everything she was involved in centered on that theme.

Charles Plante devoted his professional life to promoting public causes, especially for the infirm. He was most proud of his roles in expanding Medicare, the End Stage Renal Disease program (ESRD), the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, his role in the founding of United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS), and his life long support of neurosurgery.

He also served on the MLAB for many years.  The scholarship named in his honor is intended to recognize his lasting legacy to those who intersected with him and the millions who benefitted from his quiet good works. The scholarship awards are designated for college textbooks for students recognized for academic achievement, community service and their love of literature.