VGCC Scholarship endowed in memory of BLET graduate
A new Vance-Granville Community College scholarship will honor the memory of a graduate of the college’s Basic Law Enforcement Training program who died in the line of duty as a deputy sheriff. Brandon Scott Coker was a 26-year-old Vance County Sheriff’s Deputy responding to a report of a reckless driver when he was killed in a single-vehicle crash north of Henderson on April 25, 2009.
One year after his untimely passing, his father and stepmother, Wayne and Elaine Coker of Creedmoor, made a contribution to the VGCC Endowment Fund establishing the Brandon Scott Coker Memorial Academic Achievement Scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded to students in the BLET program . “Brandon put himself through school. We would have helped to pay for his education, but he didn’t ask for any help. He wanted to do this on his own,” his father recalled. “We wanted to create a scholarship that would honor Brandon and support other students in the law enforcement program.”
Born Oct. 22, 1982 in Sumter, S.C., Brandon Coker graduated from Riverside High School in Durham in 2001. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army and graduated with honors from advanced parachute rigger training at Fort Lee, Virginia, receiving the distinguished scholastic Dodge Award. After that training and after completing his Airborne training and certification, Brandon served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg before being honorably discharged due to physical injuries sustained while parachuting. He later enrolled in the BLET program at Vance-Granville, graduating in May 2006. “Brandon was the most caring and dedicated person that anyone would ever want to meet,” said VGCC coordinator of law enforcement training Tony R. Pendergrass, who taught Coker. “He was an asset to the law enforcement community and will be missed by all.”
He worked for the Warrenton Police Department before joining the Vance County Sheriff’s Office in January 2007. “Brandon always unselfishly enjoyed helping others, and his love for animals gave him a strong desire to ultimately acquire a K-9 partner,” his father said. “Prior to his untimely death, he knew that his dream of partnering with a K-9 unit was close, but that dream would never be realized.” Mr. Coker reflected that his son “unknowingly blessed” many people. “Heroes like Brandon live forever in our hearts, unselfishly dedicated to serving and protecting our livelihood and our freedom,” his father said.
The Brandon Scott Coker Memorial Academic Achievement Scholarship will join more than 300 endowed scholarships for full-time students at the college. VGCC has awarded more than 6,000 scholarships since 1982, and the Endowment Fund awards more endowed scholarships than any other program of its kind in North Carolina. 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.
Above: From left, VGCC President Randy Parker, Elaine Coker, Wayne Coker and VGCC coordinator of law enforcement training Tony Pendergrass. (VGCC Photo)
