Stephen “Bo” Wilkins ’92 clearly remembers walking across the Hampden-Sydney campus, surrounded by young men who were going places. “There was just a feeling in the air. These guys were leaders and I wanted to keep up; to take advantage of all Hampden-Sydney could offer,” he shared.
Growing up in Atlanta, it was the desire to play football combined with the heartfelt handwritten letters from Dean of Admissions Anita Garland that brought Wilkins to Hampden-Sydney. What motivated him to stay—and ultimately excel—was a well-timed reminder from his mother.
“When I decided not to play football after my freshman year, my mother told me I needed to direct my efforts to other worthwhile endeavors, or I was coming home. As a single parent, she had made sacrifices for me to go to Hampden-Sydney.”
Now retired, Jane Wilkins spent decades running the Northside Youth Organization, a youth sports association which serves the North Atlanta community. “Her work made a huge mark on our community.”
Losing one of his fraternity brothers some years ago caused Wilkins to reflect on what Hampden-Sydney meant to him and motivated him to create a scholarship for deserving young men from Georgia. “My friends from Hampden-Sydney are some of the most important men in my life,” he said. “I want to make it possible for others to have a Hampden-Sydney education.”