Fourth scholarship raises Quarterback Club total to $16,000

From Staff Reports

The Selma Quarterback Club has announced an additional college scholarship in the amount of $4,000 that will be awarded this year to a young man from Dallas County. This brings the number of scholarships the club is now giving to four, one more than has been given in prior years. The amount of the scholarships handed out at the club’s meeting November 26 will now total $16,000, up dramatically since the club’s inception.

Each scholarship is given in memory or in honor of a person who has made a significant contribution to the Selma Quarterback Club.

Previous scholarships recognize J. Harmon Carter, a former captain and founding member of the Selma Quarterback Club; Fred Davis, Sr., a former captain of the club and a NFL veteran who was responsible for bringing many former professional football players and coaches to speak to the club; and Larry Striplin, Jr., a former captain and outstanding program chairman for many years.

The new scholarship was named in honor of W. Forrest Hatfield who has served as Quarterback of the club and as scholarship administrator for 32 years.

“I am deeply honored and given the name of the three people who had previously been honored (with scholarships) I considered that pretty good company to be in,” Hatfield said.

He went on to say that his work with the Selma Quarterback Club has been fulfilling and he takes great pride in being able to serve the community through his work with the club and its membership.

“It’s one of those jobs I got in to and just couldn’t get out of,” Hatfield said with a laugh. “It’s given me the opportunity to work with some of the finest people and develop some great friendships throughout the years. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet some of the finest young men in Dallas County and being a conduit from the club membership to help them achieve their goals is very rewarding to me.”

Hatfield said the club’s scholarship giving has grown dramatically over the years, and it’s something he takes great pride in and says others should take great pride in, too.

“When I first started with the club we gave a $500 scholarship and now we’re giving $16,000,” he said. “We’ve really come a long way since then and the membership in general has done an excellent job helping us get to where we are now. Seeing where it is today compared to where it was gives me a lot of pride and it is something our club members should be very proud of, too.”

Menzo Driskell, Club Captain for the 2007 season, said that it was a privilege for the board to award this fourth scholarship during his term as Captain of the Club.

“The credit really goes to Forrest for this and during our board meeting we decided to name it in honor of him because of his service to the club,” Driskell said. “We’re one of the few clubs that has scholarship giving at these levels and it’s primarily because of Forrest’s work and the work of the membership that allows us to contribute back to the community at such a high level.”

Selma Quarterback Club membership is open to anyone who has a passion for football or who just enjoys hearing good football stories. The club meets Mondays at 6:30 p.m. during football season and will culminate on November 26, when the club will announce its scholarship recipients.

For additional information, contact W. Forrest Hatfield at Peoples Bank and Trust Co., at 334-418-8317.