College Advancement

HCC receives donation to establish Wiley Scholarship

The Hagerstown Community College Foundation recently received a generous donation from Eddie Wiley to establish the Mrs. Gracie M. Wiley Memorial and SGM (Ret.) Eddie H. Wiley Scholarship.

The scholarship has been developed to assist students who are residents of Washington County, Md., Franklin County, Pa., or Jefferson and Berkeley Counties, W.V.; have a 2.5 GPA or greater; and demonstrate financial need. Preference will be given to minorities and military personnel – active, retired, reserve, and other veterans.

While pursuing a full-time civil service career, Mrs. Wiley graduated with honors from HJC (now HCC) in 1991 with an associate of arts degree, and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She became an active volunteer with the HJC Alumni Association in 1994 and continued for the rest of her life. She was elected to serve as vice president of the HCC Alumni Association in 1997 and served on several other committees throughout her life. In 2005, she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management of Human Resources from Excelsior University. In 2012, as a 37-year civil servant, Mrs. Wiley retired from her career as a program analyst, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mr. Wiley served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and retired in 1996, followed by a 20-year civil service career. He also attended several semester hours of courses at HCC and in 2001 he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland University College. Mr. Wiley also joined the HCC Alumni Association alongside his late wife. They worked as a team and he continues to provide his ongoing support. In 2019, the HCC Alumni Association presented Mr. and Mrs. Wiley with the Outstanding Alumni of the year awards.

Wiley wants to assist students and encourages scholarship recipients to persevere in their pursuit of higher education. “When faced with adversity, don't give up!” he said. “Keep on going, no matter what!”

It is an endowed scholarship held in trust by the HCC Foundation, Inc. The interest from the gift is awarded annually to eligible HCC students who meet the criteria, beginning fall 2024.

To learn more about this or other HCC scholarships, www.hagerstowncc.edu/hcc-foundation.

(June 7, 2023)