Charlie Adams Endowed Scholarships
Four multi-sport student-athletes with shared, yet diverse, service-minded interests beyond sports are the 2025-26 recipients of the Charlie Adams Endowed Scholarships. Each college-bound 12th grader – all finalizing higher education choices from a handful of options – will receive his/her $2,500 one-time award on June 10 at the North Carolina High School Athletic Association annual awards celebration in Greensboro.
Landis Brown (North Davidson HS), Ryley Bowles (West Stokes HS), Beatrix Crayton (Tri-County Early College HS – Murphy), and Jane Gwinn (Lejeune HS) all excelled in cross country – the chosen sport of Adams’ daughter, Michelle Adams Szwajkun, in whose honor the scholarships are given. Remembered, too, is Adams’ late son, Scott, who was a wrestler, like Brown. All four honorees have achieved academically at and beyond the 3.5 grade point average required for NCHSAA scholar-athlete distinctions.
Brown, a musician (percussionist), has thrived as an honors band participant for multiple years and served as drum major and section leader. His service endeavors have included sharing his musical gifts to produce soulful sounds that uplift game experiences for student-athletes and spectators alike. Brown’s entrepreneurial spirit, through which he has helped raise funds for school music initiatives, has him on track – running this spring and again after this spring – to study Marketing in undergraduate school.
Bowles has participated in cross country and track & field for four years and has been recognized as the conference runner of the year. This National Honor Society member integrates the Society’s service tenet with sport through work as a volleyball official. She is committed, too, to initiatives that address local food insecurities. Bowles plans to study Biology in undergraduate school.
Crayton, the reigning 1A cross country state champion, qualified for state meets in four sports (including swimming, indoor and outdoor track & field) as an 11th grader. Her interests in healthcare led her to service opportunities in a hospital and a family eye care center, and contributed to her plans to pursue Pre-Medicine in undergraduate school. Crayton has completed more than 100 hours of community service since ninth grade.
Gwinn, a soccer student-athlete in addition to her cross country pursuits, is an Advanced Placement (AP) scholar with distinction, and an eager participant in Science Olympiad, and on drill and rifle teams. Her cross country pursuits include service, as she has volunteered with community runs and walks that foster these practices as lifelong wellness endeavors. Gwinn plans to study Mechanical Engineering in undergraduate school.
These scholarships bear the name of Adams, who served as NCHSAA Executive Director (now referred to as Commissioner) from 1984 to 2010. Among these years was a term as President of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Upon his retirement, he was the United States’ longest-tenured active leader of a high school athletics state governing body. Adams, 81, died in 2017, after having been enshrined in numerous halls of fame, including the National High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Willie Bradshaw Memorial Endowed Scholarships
Nine North Carolina High School Athletic Association “Class of 2026” student-athletes are this year’s regional recipients of the Willie Bradshaw Memorial Endowed Scholarships.
This year’s recipients, with sports interests as diversified as those of Bradshaw – who excelled as a professional baseball pitcher, as well as a high school football and basketball coach – are united by their commitments to reinvest in their communities’ health, safety and wellness like Bradshaw – a Durham native, Hillside High School and North Carolina Central University graduate who thrived as a school building and central office pioneer essential to the integration of education-based athletics in North Carolina. Their own words offer insight into their undergraduate and professional inspirations and aspirations.
Tatum Alston (Independence HS – Charlotte):
Undergraduate field – Exercise Science/Kinesiology/Sports Medicine
Quote – “I have seen how access to healthcare is not equal, and I want to help change that
through outreach, mentorship, and culturally responsive care.”
London Barber (Gates County HS):
Undergraduate field – Forensics
Quote – “Pursuing an educational focus in forensics requires compliance in dissecting details, mastering processes, and diligence in seeking ways to advance how we support the world through science.”
Paxton Black (Harnett Central HS):
Undergraduate field – Education
Quote – “Field helped me see that finding a different passion can actually help drive your first one.”
Mireya Chavez (Sanderson HS – Raleigh):
Undergraduate field – Exercise Science
Quote – “I want to learn more about nutrition, sports medicine, and potentially physical therapy.”
Alyssa DeBerry (Leesville Road HS – Raleigh):
Undergraduate field – Kinesiology
Quote – “My dream is to serve as a military veterinarian, then open a swine veterinary practice.”
Chelsea Lowe (McMichael HS – Mayodan):
Undergraduate field – Biology
Quote – “I was nervous at the dentist until I met someone who made me feel safe and respected. I noticed how much confidence good dental care can bring, and how it can change the way a person sees themselves.”
Adrian Monford (Cox Mill HS – Concord):
Undergraduate field – Health Science
Quote – “Studying health science would give me the knowledge to help athletes perform at their peak and optimize their longevity and health.”
Ricky Myers (Independence HS – Charlotte):
Undergraduate field – Business Administration/Physical Therapy
Quote – “I’ve always wanted to understand how things work — whether that’s how a business runs or how the human body recovers and performs.”
Emmanuel Watkins (Southwest Guilford HS):
Undergraduate field – Visual Arts
Quote – “Creating art has been challenging because I am never satisfied. Through the perseverance I gained participating in sports, I have been able to keep going and keep creating.”
Bradshaw, after serving several schools during segregation and integration as a teacher-coach and athletic director, became the state’s first Black school system (city-county) athletic director in Durham City Schools (before the city-county merger that formed Durham Public Schools) and retired in 1991. Bradshaw served as president of the North Carolina Coaches Association (NCCA) and North Carolina Athletic Directors Association (NCADA), and was enshrined in the National High School Sports Hall of Fame (along with several other halls). Bradshaw died in 2015 at age 86.
Each regional recipient will receive a one-time $750 scholarship to be applied to postsecondary education. One male and one female will be announced as state award winners and will receive an additional one-time $1,000 scholarship at the NCHSAA annual celebration on June 10 in Greensboro.
The Clary Medal is made possible through the generosity of the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation and annually recognizes an outstanding male and female varsity student-athlete participating in varsity competition in at least two NCHSAA-sanctioned teams. The award is based on each individual’s excellence in athletic participation, extra-curricular activities, and community service, exhibiting a desire to excel in all areas of life – athletics, education, sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, honesty, and integrity. The Wilburn Clary Medal was first awarded in 2006 and is dedicated to Wilburn Clary. Clary’s athletic career involved coaching, officiating, and administration. He coached several sports at the Methodist Children’s Home for almost 30 years, was an outstanding high school and collegiate official, and served as the executive secretary of the Western North Carolina High School Activities Association from 1949 until 1977 when the organization merged with the NCHSAA.