Albert and Roxie Perry McDougald Education Fund

The following biography was written at the time of this scholarship establishment; some information may not be up to date:

A native of Clarkton in Bladen County, North Carolina, Juanita McDougald Melchoir graduated from UNCG (then the State Normal and Industrial College) in 1917. She quickly earned distinction in the field of public education and was appointed director of teacher training for North Carolina in 1922. She held the position for 15 years.

In 1937, she married Dr. William T. Melchior, a professor at Syracuse University. As a resident of New York, she continued to be active in education at all levels before retiring from teaching in 1962.

Her involvement was not limited to teaching. She was noted for her contributions as a volunteer to the arts, the Methodist Church, American Youth Hostels, the PTA, and the American Association of Retired Persons. She was instrumental in the establishment of the first New York State chapter of Alumnae of Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina in 1958, and in 1966, she was awarded the University’s Alumni Service award. Her award citation noted that “the growth of the College certainly depends on making its influence felt in every state in the country and indeed the world. To this end, Juanita McDougald Melchior has devoted a lifetime of service.”

The fund is named in memory of her parents. Juanita Melchoir passed away in January 1987.