George Dawson "Hold Fast to Dreams" Scholarship

The George Dawson “Hold Fast to Dreams” Scholarship was established in 2001 and honors the memory of the late George Dawson, a Dallas resident who learned to read at the age of 98 and wrote a book about his life at age 100. Born the grandson of slaves in 1898, Dawson started working at the age of 4 to help support his family and took on various jobs as a laborer, a cowboy, a farmer, and other professions throughout his life. Long since retiring from a life of hard work, he decided to take up something he had never learned to do: read and write. When a teacher from a local adult education program paid a visit, Dawson decided it was time to add literacy to the skills he had acquired from the school of life. Not discouraged that some of his classmates were 80 or more years younger, he learned to read and write his name after a lifetime of signing papers with an “X”. After learning of Dawson’s story and meeting this humble and wise man, several Dallas College employees decided that he would be the perfect champion and advocate to lead a movement against illiteracy and promote lifelong learning. Those employees joined forces with the local, national and international communities to elevate Dawson’s inspiring accomplishments through various programs, including a scholarship fund. The establishment of George Dawson “Hold Fast to Dreams” Scholarship allows deserving students at the seven campuses of Dallas College to follow Mr. Dawson’s example to love life and value reading, writing, and learning at any age. It also gives students a chance to “hold fast” to their dreams – an adventure Dawson demonstrated throughout his life.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5
• Must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours for the period of the award
• ESSAY REQUIRED
• RECOMMENDATION/REFERENCE REQUIRED

This scholarship renews for the spring semester. To receive the spring portion, the recipient must maintain the above requirements. Failure to do so could result in a loss of scholarship benefits.