Hibbie Hayslett ’59 is a man filled with gratitude for the opportunities he was afforded, and the life he has been able to lead. That gratitude is what drives him to pay it forward to the next generation of Randolph-Macon students.

After his parents died at a young age, Hayslett was raised by his grandparents. His grandfather worked as a janitor at Fairfax High School, and during the swing shift from 4 p.m. to midnight, befriended the school’s principal, Samuel Coffey, who was a graduate of the RMC Class of 1931.

Hayslett assumed that on his grandfather’s modest wages, college was not a possibility. But one day, Coffey pulled him aside and asked, “Do you want to go to college?” Having recognized Hayslett as a good student, Coffey arranged for a scholarship for him at his alma mater, plus a job on campus to help pay for meals.

Hayslett played on the football team, joined the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, and majored in Spanish and French. When he finished his degree, he joined the Air Force and served as an officer for 21 decorated years.

His wife Jerrianne established the Hilbert Hunter Hayslett, Jr. Scholarship to give students the same opportunity he had to attend Randolph-Macon. “I really think that any time you try to offer a hand to somebody, it helps,” Hayslett explained.

Jackson Currie ’26 is the current recipient of the scholarship, and the two shared a heartfelt video call over the summer. “Receiving this scholarship means a great deal to me,” Currie said. “If there was one thing I took away from our conversation, it would be to always have a positive attitude and enjoy life day by day.”

Hayslett’s own gratitude was punctuated as a young second lieutenant, when he had the opportunity to take a photo in his dress uniform with both his grandparents and Coffey, the people who had made his career possible.

“When you do things that literally change someone’s life for the better—I mean quantum things, big things—there are no words. You say ‘thank you,’ and it doesn’t even begin to give the appreciation that is due to them,” Hayslett said. “But wearing that uniform and being part of Randolph-Macon, those are two things that are indelible with me and give me great satisfaction.”