Jno G. Lewis lodge awards 2023 scholarship

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

Members of the Jno G. Lewis Masonic Lodge #622 presented Lampasas High School Senior Aden Rascoe with a $1,000 scholarship as part of the Roosevelt Hudgens Education System Contest.

The scholarship contest is open to all high school seniors in the Copperas Cove, Gatesville and Lampasas school districts. Requirements for applicants include Texas residency and involvement in high school communities and activities. Applicants also had to include their GPA and their class rank. Applicants also had to write a 500-word essay and include a biographical sketch about themselves, with letters of recommendation from school and community leaders.

The Roosevelt Hudgens Education System Contest is named after Roosevelt Hudgens, one of the founding members of the Jno G. Lewis Masonic Lodge, which was founded in 1979. It has been held annually for the past 18 years.

Rascoe was selected to be this year’s recipient due to his academic achievements as well as his essay. Rascoe is in the top three percent of his class and has been involved in community service, as well as athletics such as baseball and football. He will be attending Texas A&M University in College Station in the fall and majoring in construction management. His plans for after college include working for a company in his field before branching out and starting his own business, with the ultimate goal of giving back to the community.

“I’m very glad and very, very fortunate to have some financial support going to college and just very thankful and grateful,” Rascoe said. “It will definitely help financially, and it'll give me a little boost so I don’t have to worry about as much as buying materials like books and everything for classes.”

Worshipful Master Mitchell Johnson said that he was very proud of Rascoe for his accomplishments.

“I think he’s a well deserving student. I read his packet. I read what he wrote,” Johnson said. “He's a football player. He's done great things, so I'm proud of him. I only know him from the packet, but from reading it, I’m like, this is what we want our youth to be.”

Johnson said being able to be part of an organization that can give out this scholarship each year feels good.

“I guess when you get a little older, you realize that there’s people who they highly need certain things: guidance, leadership, funding that you might not have had when you came up, and you notice that absence, and you can stand in the fold and try to help as much as you can,” Johnson said. “So, it’s a big deal for all of us at the Lodge to do stuff like this.”

The lodge fundraises through various events such as their fish fries. In addition to the annual scholarship, the lodge also helps the community with back-to-school backpack drives and other events.