As a young boy growing up on his family farm in Red Oak, Floyd M. Dickinson Jr. dreamed that he may one day get a degree from Virginia Tech.

“With the help of a scholarship, Dickinson was able to attend the college of his dreams, where he graduated with a degree in agriculture and applied economics from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1964,” his family said in a press release.

It was because of this dream — and the support that he received to achieve it — that his family decided to give back to the college in the form of a scholarship for students.

“That scholarship gave my brother the help he needed, so we wanted to give back to help the next generation of students,” said Floyd’s younger sister, Mary Elizabeth Covington McDade.

His family established the Floyd M. Dickinson Jr. Agriculture Scholarship for Virginia Tech College of agriculture and life sciences undergraduates who are residents of Charlotte, Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Brunswick or Halifax counties with special consideration being given to those students involved with 4-H and/or Future Farmers of America.

“Dickinson was raised in humble beginnings where his parents taught him to be generous, while also encouraging him to pursue higher education. After Virginia Tech, he graduated from Wake Forrest Law School in 1972,” according to the press release.

As an undergraduate student, Dickinson “lived up to the Virginia Tech motto of ‘Ut Prosim’ (That I May Serve) by serving the university and community via his leadership on numerous student committees, including his being elected civilian student body president (1963-64), and receiving Virginia Tech’s highest non-academic honor: Undergraduate Man of the Year 1964.”

According to the release, he spent his entire career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, eventually serving as the head examiner of the Trust Department. “Dickinson was known as a people person who had a reputation for being a very kind, generous and loving person that contributed greatly to his church and local charities.”

For more information on the, scholarship contact Cynthia Beatty, CALS, Office of Academic Programs (0334), Litton-Reaves, 1060, Virginia Tech, 175 West Campus Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24061, or call (540) 231-9671 or beatty@vt.edu.