Monday, November 15, 2004

Nov. 15, 2004

WILMINGTON, N.C. – To honor Lenwood “Bo” S. Dean for his dedication to University of North Carolina Wilmington students, two of his friends recently established a merit scholarship in his name.

Dean, son of L. S. Dean Sr. of Fuquay Varina, N.C., and Nancy Phelps Hodges, formerly of Fuquay, now of Wilmington, N.C., works as an assistant in the Honors Scholars Program at UNCW. The scholarship will be used to assist incoming freshmen enrolled in the program. The donors, Mark Griffis and David Robertson, wanted to recognize Dean for the time, energy and devotion he bestows on students.

“He always calls them ‘my kids.’ It’s important to honor someone who is committed to people,” Griffis said.

Dean’s voice choked on emotion when he discussed his friends’ gift. “It’s the most amazing thing anybody has ever done for me,” he said. “When you honor me, you are also honoring my dad. That means the world to me.”

The donors established the Dean Honors Scholarship, as well as another scholarship to benefit political science students, because they want to make a direct impact in students’ lives and, therefore, indirectly impact the world.

“The way that you fundamentally change the world is by empowering others to learn,” said David Robertson, president of Realty Presentations, Inc., a Wilmington, N.C., company that promotes retirement communities throughout the South.

For the seventh consecutive year, UNCW has been ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the South. More than 11,000 students attend UNCW, a comprehensive state university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in four academic divisions: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Watson School of Education, the Cameron School of Business and the School of Nursing. The university was founded in 1947 as Wilmington College and joined the University of North Carolina system in 1969.