Kittle Scholarship History and Recipients

By Becky Crabtree

Vernon and Carol Ellison Kittle were well known throughout Monroe County as the owners of the "Kittles Hardware Store" in Union. Both had parents who were Monroe County teachers, and both received strong encouragement to attend college.

As was typical in the 1930s, both Vernon and Carol attended one-room schools in their local communities until they were ready to complete high school. While students at Union High School, Vernon participated in football and band before graduating in 1945, Carol participated in cheerleading and basketball before graduating in 1950.

After being drafted into the U.S. Army immediately after high school, Vernon served with the U.S. Army occupation troops in Germany and later attended West Virginia University under the G.I. Bill, earning a BS and an MS in horticulture. Carol also attended West Virginia University and graduated with a BA degree in business. Due to a six-year age difference, they were not well acquainted until they met through friends at WVU and began dating. They were married in 1954 and relocated to Waynesboro, Virginia, where Vernon worked as a sales representative calling on orchard owners and other commercial/agricultural-based customers for the forerunner of Dow Chemical.

Their family moved back to Monroe County in 1959 so Vernon could become a business partner with his father, who had established a Purina feed store, Kittle Feed and Supply, several years earlier.

To expand the business, they bought a truck-mounted mobile feed mill that provided custom grinding. Long-time members of the community still remember Vernon driving out to farms across Monroe County to deliver Purina feed and grind grain in the early days of the business. Vernon transformed the feed business into a hardware store in 1968 when it became a True Value franchise. Vernon and Carol were associated with the store for many years until they passed in 2010.

Both Vernon and Carol had strong allegiances to Monroe County and its education system. With this in mind, their children established this scholarship in their names for students attending West Virginia University. The scholarship was first awarded in 2018.

There have been eight recipients of this scholarship since its inception in 2018:

The award was first presented to Cassidy Pitzer in 2018, to Nathan Simms in 2019, and to Ashley Jameson in 2020.

In 2021, Abigail Parker earned this scholarship. She says, "Receiving this scholarship allowed me to attend the college of my choosing and focus on my education without as much financial stress. Because of this support, I have been able to successfully progress through my studies and will be graduating this May with a B.S. in Biology. My time in college has strengthened my interest in health care, and I plan to apply to the Physician Assistant (PA) program next. I am very grateful for the opportunities this scholarship has given me and for the support that helped me reach this point in my education."

Brooklyn Ellison was the recipient in 2022. "I was lucky enough to get the Kittle Scholarship my senior year, and it has been a great help to me," she reports. "Without my scholarships, going to college would've been nearly impossible for me. The Kittle Scholarship, in particular, helped pay for all my required books!" Ellison explains her educational progress, "I have since graduated from WVU with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in communication studies. I am now completing my master's degree in human resources and employee relations through Pennsylvania State University."

Aleeyah Carr was the 2023 scholarship winner. She said, "College can be somewhat unattainable due to the cost, but this scholarship helped in allowing me to continue my education. It is something that I'm truly grateful I was able to receive. I wouldn't have been able to get a degree without all the help I've received. I'm currently majoring in criminology and communication studies and am looking to graduate this spring. I don't have anything lined up for the future, but I would love to get my Master's degree after a brief break! After that, I am hoping to work in the social services realm, possibly with children and their families."

In 2024, Rosselyn St. Clair was selected as the awardee of the Kittle Scholarship. She reports that she is currently a WVU student majoring in Forensic Science with a minor in psychology and says, "In the future, I hope to work in a career related to forensic psychology where I can apply what I've learned to help with investigations and better understand criminal behavior. My goal is to make a positive impact through the work I do. I'm very grateful to have received the Kittle Scholarship and appreciate the support it has given me as I work toward my goal. It has helped me a lot by supporting my education and making it easier for me to focus on my studies without as much financial stress. It has given me the opportunity to fully take advantage of my time in college."

Last year's awardee, Kinleigh Bradley, commented on her selection, "The Kittle Scholarship helped me to be able to go to the school that I have always wanted to go to! I have always dreamed of going to WVU. No other school has ever caught my attention. But costs are always an issue when attending universities. I did my best to apply for as many scholarships as I could, and when I got one from a business in Monroe County, I was so excited. It not only helped cover the costs of attending but also offered the honor of being awarded a scholarship, with criteria for a passion for helping others. I am currently enrolled at WVU, but have left the Nursing program. I continue to want to help kids, just in a different way. I am now in the Elementary Education program, where I will help children learn many things to prepare them for their futures. This scholarship has helped me get to where I am right now, and I plan to continue on that path until I'm out of school and a teacher!"

This is one of a series of articles about the Monroe County Education Foundation and the scholarships it offers. Information about the Kittle Scholarship was written by Kittle family members and was first published in the Monroe Watchman in 2018.