Terry Blair Award

 The Terry Blair Scholarship

The $1,000 Terry Blair Scholarship is presented annually by Judy Blair and family in memory of her husband, Terry Blair, a former Washington Township trustee and a member of the Ohio General Assembly.

A trustee for 21 years, Blair was elected by residents six times, and served eight terms as trustee president. He also served the community as the representative to the Ohio General Assembly for Ohio’s 42nd district. 

During his time as a Washington Township Trustee, he was a champion of good government, fiscal responsibility and cooperation. He held the township to high standards that included outstanding customer service and cost-effective service delivery.  Especially, he was a passionate advocate of grassroots government who believed deeply that local government should always be accountable to its citizens.

The scholarship is administered by the Centerville Noon Optimist Club and presented at a Washington Township Trustee meeting. Terry took a leadership role in Optimists and embodied its creed to: “Be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.”

Sixth Annual Terry Blair Scholarship Winner

The sixth annual scholarship winner, Adeola Adelekan, has displayed an interest in the leadership and community service that Terry Blair epitomized. When she attended her first Model UN conference, she recipient of 2020 Terry Blair Scholarshipdiscovered her passion for how health policy impacts minority communities. Since then, she has twice achieved recognition as regional champion in intercultural health for Ohio HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America).

Adeola’s service activities include cooking and serving meals at St. Vincent DePaul Center and House of Bread; mentoring elementary students through Lunch buddies; and tutoring middle school students through Study Buddies. Her leadership and extracurricular activities include cofounding and serving as president of Centerville High School’s Black Student Union, serving as communications director for Interact Club, and participating on the leadership team of the National Honor Society.

She also has been a member of the youth Leadership Committee at Tabernacle Baptist Church Youth Ministry and accomplished all of this while working part time. Adeola plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with the goal of working for the US Department of Health and Human Services.