By Betsy Finklea
A former teacher is being recognized by a former student who has established a scholarship in her honor.
Earl Whatley, whose father was the veterinarian in Dillon before Dr. Kenneth Huggins, has established a scholarship at the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn University in honor of Mattie W. Strickland. The scholarship is available to residents of Dillon County, SC.
Mrs. Strickland said she was stunned to learn of the honor.
She said Whatley was a student of hers in seventh grade. He moved from Dillon before he graduated from Dillon High School, and Mrs. Strickland had no word from him for 55 years.
She got a call from the high school one day that a former student was trying to locate her and wanted to talk. She said that she told them that she would be glad to talk to Whatley.
He contacted her, and they had a casual conversation. After that, Whatley began sending Mrs. Strickland a fruitcake for Christmas. She said for the pat five or six years, the fruitcake has arrived about 10 day before Christmas.
Mrs. Strickland said on the first day of April, she got a call from Auburn University telling her that Whatley, who now lives in Dallas, Texas, had established a scholarship in her honor. She talked to Auburn three times. They sent her a certificate and a letter.
Mrs. Strickland said she does not know what she did to impress Whatley, who she has talked to only twice in the last 50 years, but she would be thrilled if a student from Dillon County would take advantage of this scholarship.
