The Wayne-Meador-Elliott Scholarship was established with the Foundation's Ritchie County Community Foundation affiliate in 2007 in memory of Anthony Wayne, David Meador, and Bud and Mildred Elliott. This scholarship is for graduating seniors from Ritchie County High School who are planning to attend college or a university as a full time student. The recipient must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be majoring in education administration, music, geology/petroleum engineering or education. The selection is based on the ability to overcome obstacles, a strong work ethic, an interest in community service and leadership, and financial need.

Anthony Wayne was born in Cleveland, OH, and grew up in Cass City, MI, with his mother. He was a member of the U.S. Army, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He worked as a television repairman for Ritchie Furniture and also worked as a machine mechanic for the Garment Factory. He had a great love for music, and was a saxophonist in dance bands, and in the Starlighters. He also had a great appreciation for reading, and used to check out four or five books at a time from the library.

Mildred Cox Wayne Elliott was born in Ritchie County. She went to school in Pullman and graduated from Harrisville High School in 1942. Her dream was to become a nurse, but she did not have the opportunity to follow that dream. During World War II, worked in Cleveland, OH, in secretarial work. During this time, Mildred and Anthony began corresponding through letters while he was overseas. When Anthony came home from the war, he went to Cleveland, and two weeks later, he and Mildred were married. They moved home to Ritchie County.

After returning home, Mildred worked at, and later owned and operated, "The Spot." In fact, she called all of the children that came to and worked for her the "Spot Kids." She later worked at the Garment Factory, and then at Colin Anderson.

Anthony and Mildred had three children: Anthony, Patricia Ann and Toni Kay. They sacrificed a lot when Patricia became ill as a young child which affected her through her entire life. Working at Colin Anderson was special for Mildred as she felt close to the children she worked with because they were dealing with the same issues as Patricia. Anthony and Mildred never had the opportunity for higher education but understood the importance of it, and always encourage their children to work hard and follow their dreams. Anthony passed away in 1979 from lung cancer.

Charles (Bud) Elliott fought in World War II in the 2nd chemical battalion. He was involved in many major battles, including the Sicilian Campaign, and he was awarded two Purple Hearts. He was a hard working man, and had a love for 4-H, supervising camp and working with the kids. Bud had two sons, and at one time, his wife and both sons were in college. Education was very important to him, and he made sure he did everything he could to support his loved ones with their education.

Bud and Mildred married in 1984 and were very devoted to each other. Toni Kay Meador, Mildred's daughter, believed that they kept each other going, even when their health started failing.

David Meador was born in 1941 in Hinton, WV. While he was growing up, David was involved in 4-H and also grew and sold strawberries to local citizens. After he graduated from Hinton High School, David attended Concord College where he received a major in Education, English and Biological Sciences. He taught biology at Hampton High School in Virginia, and then became an extension agent in Lexington, VA.

In 1965, David came to Ritchie County as the new 4-H Extension Agent. During this time, he met Toni Kay, and they married in 1966. They had a daughter, Lisa. Shortly after they were married, he enlisted in the Air Force, was in the intelligence department, and served overseas in Thailand. When he returned to Ritchie County in 1968, he began teaching at Harrisville Elementary School and received his master's degree in 1972 from Marshall University. He continued moving up through the Ritchie County school system until he became Ritchie County Superintendent in 1989, a position held until he retired in 1997.

After he retired, David found out that he had prostate cancer. He had surgery which was a success, but found out months later that he had severe Lymphoma. After a courageous battle with the disease, David passed away on October 6, 1999.

After Bud Elliott passed away in May of 2006, Mildred talked with her children about establishing a scholarship in memory of Anthony Wayne, David Meador and Bud. After Mildred passed away in December of 2006, her children followed their mother's dream and established the Wayne-Meador-Elliott Scholarship with one change: the scholarship would also be in memory of Mildred.