A new scholarship for the Navy Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NROTC) at Georgia Tech honors George Robert Henderson, Sr., a veteran of the United States Navy and native of Newnan, Georgia. Inaugural recipients of the scholarship are undergraduate students Rebekah Day and Anthony Guidera.

Endowed in perpetuity by an anonymous donor, the George Robert Henderson Sr. Scholarship Endowment Fund will support undergraduate students participating in NROTC, which is part of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Recipients are selected by Georgia Tech’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

The letter of endowment states that the scholarship celebrates Henderson’s legacy “as a loving husband for over sixty years to Mrs. Ruth Henderson, a father to George Robert Henderson Jr., Debbie Barron, and Cindy Henderson—as well as a grandfather to a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren.”

Henderson left home in 1946 to enroll in the United States Navy. Only seventeen at the time, he enlisted with signed permission as he was underage. Henderson served in California and Alaska and was honorably discharged.

 “He lived his life by the highest standards and the essential virtues of pride and military service in support of the oath of his enlistment: the maintenance of good order, discipline, basic skills, and knowledge pertaining to the well-being of Navy personnel,” the endowment states.  “He was well known for sharing stories about his time in service, and those who knew and loved him give thanks to the opportunity afforded him by the Navy. His legacy will continue in perpetuity, serving as an inspiration to future generations of faculty, students, and staff members at the Georgia Institute of Technology.”

Photo: Midshipmen Rebekah Day was presented the George Robert Henderson Sr. Scholarship by Captain Craig Thompson, USMC