Scholarship established in memory of longtime VGCC employee Charles Brooks
A new scholarship is set to keep alive the memory of a Vance-Granville Community College staff member. Charles L. Brooks Sr. of Oxford died in 2009 at the age of 61, following a long battle with a rare form of leukemia and after many years working at the college’s South Campus . In the years since, his friends and co-workers at the college have worked to establish a scholarship in his name through the VGCC Endowment Fund.
Brooks worked in the VGCC Plant Operations department starting in 1986 on a part-time basis and became a full-time employee in 1990. He served as the custodian/housekeeper at South Campus from the time it opened at its permanent location between Creedmoor and Butner in 1988.
“Charles was beloved by the students, faculty and staff at South Campus for his contagious laughter, hard work and humble spirit,” said South Campus Dean Cecilia Wheeler. “His desire to help and support everyone on this campus was matched only by his devotion to his family.” Brooks and his wife, Lillian, were the parents of three children: Charles Brooks Jr., Theresa Brooks Zackery and LaToya Brooks. LaToya Brooks and Zackery, along with Zackery’s children, recently visited the college to celebrate the naming of the scholarship in memory of their father and grandfather.
“The family is so happy that the scholarship opportunity in his name is coming to fruition,” LaToya Brooks said. “We are excited and feel blessed to know that others thought so much of him.” She added that her father instilled in his children a strong work ethic. “He enjoyed his time at VGCC and it was there, as well as other places of employment, that he modeled that work ethic,” she said. “He always went the extra mile in whatever job he had to do. He thought a lot of the teachers, staff and students; they were like family. It gives us great pleasure to witness that his hard work did not go unnoticed, but spoke volumes as to who he was.”
Charles Brooks was a United States Army veteran. He graduated from Joe Toler High School and later from VGCC, where he studied Automotive Mechanics and Recreational Therapy. He was a member of St. Matthews Baptist Church in Oxford.
The importance of education to the Brooks family is evident. LaToya is a first-grade teacher, while Theresa is a teacher’s assistant at E.O Young Jr. Elementary School in Middleburg. Theresa, Charles Jr. and their mother are all VGCC alumni. “He always supported our efforts to further our education,” LaToya Brooks recalled. “He also wanted to support his grandchildren in making the decision to go to college. He would be honored to know that his name will carry on in such a way to inspire others through education.”
Through the Endowment Fund , VGCC has awarded more than 7,000 scholarships to students since 1982. Scholarships have been endowed by numerous individuals, industries, businesses, civic groups, churches and the college’s faculty and staff. Tax-deductible donations to the VGCC Endowment Fund have often been used to honor or remember a person, group, business or industry with a lasting gift to education.
Once the Charles Brooks Sr. Scholarship is fully funded, the college will be able to award it to a student regularly. For more information or to make a contribution to help fully endow this scholarship, call Kay Currin at (252) 738-3409.
Above: From left, VGCC South Campus counselor Phyllis Thomas, campus dean Cecilia Wheeler, LaToya Brooks of Greensboro, Theresa Brooks Zackery of Henderson and VGCC Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson, with Damar Zackery and Shamaria Zackery in front, celebrate the establishment of the Charles Brooks Sr. Scholarship. (VGCC photo)
Above: Charles Brooks, Sr.
