Irene Hugine Scholarship Marks 40 Years of Investing in Colleton County Students

GREEN POND, S.C. — The Irene Hugine Scholarship Program celebrated a milestone 40th anniversary on Saturday, July 25, with a banquet at the Green Pond Community Center honoring four decades of support for students from lower Colleton County pursuing higher education. Coincidentally, the Center is the former site of Ivenia Brown Elementary School, where she spent most of her teaching career. The program was established in 1987 in memory of Irene Short Hugine, a longtime educator who spent 37 years teaching children in Colleton County, much of it at Ivenia Brown Elementary School, and who was known throughout her church and community for her devotion to education, faith, and service. Since its founding, the scholarship has supported nearly sixty students on their path to postsecondary education. The printed program highlighted the accomplishments of nearly 80% of the past recipients. An effort that was aided by the assistance of the Press and Standard. The accomplishments were indeed exceptional and are listed on the attached matrix. This year's banquet, themed “Forty Years of Excellence: Honoring a Legacy, Empowering the Future,” also marked the launch of the Irene Hugine Education Foundation, a newly established501(c)(3) organization that will carry the scholarship's mission forward for future generations. The evening's keynote speaker was Dr. Audrey Hamilton Rushin, a psychiatrist practicing in Northern Virginia — and fittingly, the very first recipient of the Irene Hugine Scholarship in1987. Dr. Rushin, a Green Pond native, earned her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The program also recognized its newest scholarship recipient, Ms. Jamerah N. Williams, who was presented with the 2026 award. Program participants included former students of Irene Hugine, past scholarship recipients, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. At the program, the former ministers of Jerusalem and St. Mary AME Churches, now White Hall AME Church, were recognized. They included Rev. Willie Loyd (posthumously), Rev. Robert K. White, Rev. Jack Lewis, Jr., and Rev. Dr. Courtney Colleton. Rev. Kathy Shider, retiring Director of Guidance and Counseling, was also recognized for her support and assistance of the program over the years.