The Alston-Pleasants Scholars Fund was established by Missouri Alston Pleasants in 1958 to perpetuate the memory of her Grandfather, Willis (Congress) Alston.  It provides merit scholarships to selected students from Franklin, Halifax and Warren Counties for  undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Alston-Pleasants Scholars are selected by the University Student Aid Office based on application documentation.  Wells Fargo Bank serves as Fund Trustee.  The Franklin County Clerk of Superior Court oversees Fund operations.

The Alston-Pleasants Post-Graduate Scholars Fund was established in 2008 to provide scholarships for Aston-Pleasants Scholars to continue post-graduate and professional studies at any appropriately accredited American university.  The Clerks of Superior Court for each home county oversee Fund operations and each Clerk appoints a Trustee to serve for a three-year term.  The Trustees determine eligibility and award amounts for each award.  The Trustees also seek to enhance the recognition and encouragement provided to both undergraduate and post-graduate Scholars while broadening appreciation of the contributions of both Funds in our three county home community.

Read “Republican Ideology in the Life and Politics of Willis ‘Congress’ Alston, 1769-1837” By Timothy J. Williams, Department of History, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, January 22, 2008.