Ben Willis Scholarship

Benjamin J Willis, Jr. “Ben Willis” was born on June 3, 1920. His parents were Benjamin Johnson Willis Sr. and Alice Robertson Willis. He also had a sister Alice Robertson Denny. Ben was a lifelong resident of Norfolk and believed in duty, honor and responsibility which guided his life. He was an Eagle Scout and supported Scouting as an adult. He graduated Maury High School in 1938 and Hampden Sydney College in 1942. He was then a lifeguard in front of the Warner hotel in which he found a love for swimming and he also studied at University of Virginia. During his studies Ben was called into service by the US Navy where he first was a salvage diver on the USS Moreno during World War II, then, he was called back into service where he took command of LST 1154, the USS Tallahatchie County during the Korean War. He remained in the Naval Reserves until his retirement as a Commander. Ben also worked in the family business, Willis Furniture Company with many of his other family members and assumed went on to take a leadership role in the company until his retirement from daily duties in 1998.Ben was a leader in the furniture industry having served as Chairman of the Southern Home Furnishings Association and having served 11 years on the Board of the National Home Furnishings Association. He was a member of Ghent United Methodist Church and the Lambeth Bible Class. Ben was one of the first and longest serving members of the Board of Trustees of Virginia Wesleyan College. He was also President of the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Children’s Home in Richmond, Va. He was a member of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, the Princess Anne Country Club, the Norfolk Rotary Club, and the Norfolk German Club. He served as Chairman of the Board of directors of the Better Business Bureau, and of the Retail Merchants Association of Tidewater (The Retail Alliance), and served as a Board Member of the former Crestar Bank.
The Willis Award Club of the former Southern Home Furnishings Association established the Ben Willis Scholarship in 1984 to honor Mr. Ben Willis. The goal of this scholarship is to further the interests of the students in a career in home furnishings. First preference for scholarship awards will be given to rising juniors and/or seniors majoring in the home furnishings programs. Recommendations of recipients may be made by the Dean of the Earl N Phillips School of Business or the School of Art and Design. Recipients will be selected by the Office of Financial Planning.