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Hardaway Abernathy '39 |
The Randolph-Macon College community mourns the loss of Hardaway S. Abernathy ’39, who died on December 17, 2012.
“Randolph-Macon College has lost a beloved member of its family,” said President Robert R. Lindgren. “Hardaway was a treasure—a dear friend to so many, and a loyal alumnus who was proud to be a Yellow Jacket.”
At R-MC, Abernathy played baseball and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He graduated from Randolph-Macon College in 1939 on the eve of World War II, served in the Great War, and interrupted his public-school education career in the 1950s to serve during the Korean conflict. Abernathy earned his M.A. from Vanderbilt University.
A retired educator and public-school administrator, Abernathy worked in a number of Virginia counties. At the time of his retirement, he was the assistant superintendent of Virginia Beach Public Schools and was employed by that school system for 13 years.
In 1993, Abernathy was elected senior vice president of the Virginia Conference of United Methodist Men and was elected to the administrative council of the Southeast Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Abernathy was a former member of R-MC’s Society of Alumni. He was also a member of the Heritage Society and the J. Earl Moreland Fellows.
The Abernathy-Eason Scholarship Fund was established in 1983 by Hardaway and Mavis Abernathy in memory of their parents. The scholarship gives preference to students preparing for the ordained ministry or other full-time Christian service in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
In recognition of Abernathy’s long-time support of Randolph-Macon, the college recently honored Abernathy by naming the first-floor study room in the new Werner Pavilion after him.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 20 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and the funeral service will take place on Friday, December 21 at 11:00 a.m. at the Holloman-Brown Funeral Home, 1485 Kempsville Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 (757) 495-7727.