Published 8:30 am Friday, August 29, 2025
By Staff Reports
The Southern Union State Community College Foundation has announced the first recipients of the newly established Sheryl Stone Memorial Endowed Scholarship: Kaden Andrew Peters and Nic Chandler, both of Tallassee.
The scholarship was established in 2024 by Dr. Karen Stone in loving memory of her husband, Sheryl Stone, a dedicated businessman, mentor, and longtime supporter of Southern Union students through Phi Theta Kappa. Sheryl was instrumental in founding Southern Union’s PTK alumni chapter in the early 1990s and served as its community advisor until his passing in 2003. He was known not only for his generosity and wisdom, but for his deep belief that everyone he met had something to teach him — a value that continues to inspire this scholarship’s purpose.
“This award represents Sheryl’s lasting gift to others,” said Dr. Stone. “It is my desire to help those who are working hard to get ahead — students who were balancing school with jobs or family responsibilities. He would be proud to know he’s still helping students move forward.”
The scholarship gives preference to academic transfer students pursuing degrees in business or history, areas close to Sheryl’s heart and background. It is designed to support students who may not often qualify for traditional financial aid but who are driven to complete their education and apply what they learn to everyday life.
Sheryl believed that learning happens every day — and that education is something you carry with you, not just in the classroom, but in life. “One of Sheryl’s greatest characteristics was that he was a great listener. He used to say that everybody he met knew something he did not know and he could learn something from them,” said Karen Stone.
Kaden Peters, a recent graduate of Tallassee High School, will continue his studies through Southern Union and Auburn University’s Path to the Plains program in accounting. He plans to earn his associate degree at Southern Union in 2026 before transferring full-time to Auburn.
“I am so thankful to be the first recipient of this scholarship,” Peters said. “It’s an honor to be chosen and to know that I’m representing the legacy of someone who believed so strongly in education and in helping others succeed.”
The second recipient, Nic Chandler, will also major in business with a dream to open his own company one day. “It is an honor to receive this scholarship and I am very blessed to have the opportunity to be the first ever recipient of this scholarship,” Chandler said.
The Southern Union Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), supports the educational mission of SUSCC by expanding student access through financial aid and funding innovative programs that enhance academic quality. To learn more about the Southern Union Foundation, visit https://www.suscc.edu/about/foundation-overview.