The Joe P. Johnson, Jr., $1,000 Scholarship awarded to Patrick Henry High School Senior

Emory, Virginia — Friday, May 9, 2025. Each year the Washington County Democratic Committee sponsors a $1,000 scholarship in memory of the Honorable Joe Pickett Johnson, Jr., to a deserving senior at one of the four Washington County high schools. This year the award was presented by Mary Haviland, chair of the scholarship committee, and Mary Jo Neal, daughter of Joe P. Johnson, Jr., to McKenzie Wise at Patrick Henry High School on Awards Day, May 9, 2025. 

Joe Pickett Johnson, Jr., was an attorney in Washington County for 60 years and served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 28 years. He was a dedicated leader who shook hands with everyone he met, especially at high school football games and Democratic rallies. Joe’s motto was “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” This scholarship honors his legacy in service to the community. 

The criteria for the scholarship are: 

The candidate must be of admirable character who has maintained strong academics, must be a college bound high school student, must have shown dedicated volunteer work in public service and exhibited the values of our American democracy. 

McKenzie Wise is an honors student with special emphasis on classes taken at Virginia Highlands Community College as dual enrollment. She was a National 4-H Congress Candidate and a Washington County 4-H Champion in livestock, outdoor adventure, and citizenship. McKenzie will attend Emory & Henry University in the fall.