Maude and Julius Ross Sr. Scholarship

Maude and Julius Ross were proud graduates of Fairfield County Training School on Zion Street in the late 1930s, beginning a family legacy deeply rooted in education and community service. Mrs. Ross dedicated nearly 40 years to Fairfield County schools as both a teacher and guidance counselor. During her distinguished career, she was appointed by the school board to serve as the principal organizer for the integration of Winnsboro High School and Fairfield High School (formerly Fairfield County Training High School), a significant milestone documented in the University of South Carolina archives. Her commitment to education was part of a broader family tradition, as her mother and aunts also served as educators in the county’s one-room Rosenwald schools and beyond.

Mr. Ross was a skilled builder and master mason who earned a degree in Industrial Arts from Voorhees College. He came from a family devoted to education—his father served as the first principal of Fairfield County Training School from 1924 to 1944, and his mother was also a teacher in the district. Notably, all of Mr. Ross’s siblings spent time teaching during their lives.

In honor of this enduring legacy, the children of Maude and Julius Ross, Sr.—Julius Jr., Saundra, Karen, and Barrington—established this scholarship to support and uplift individuals pursuing careers in the teaching profession.