The Suffolk Foundation announced that Myra Bailey is the winner of the second annual $5,000 Ossie S. and Thomas F. Blair Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Bailey is a Lakeland High School graduate.

The Blair Memorial Scholarship to honor Tom and Ossie Blair was established in December 2014. Ossie and Tom not only loved and cared for their children, but they instilled in them many values, one of these being the necessity for and advantage of a formal education. As busy as they were, Ossie and Tom always had time to help every one of their children with their studies and encouraged them to do their best in whatever endeavors they undertook.

Having lost her father to cancer in 2014, Bailey could have let that tragedy deter her. But she met her loss head on and used her intellectual abilities, determination, great leadership skills and strong work ethic to achieve in every facet of her life.

Bailey was valedictorian of her class. She was also selected to attend the 2016 National Youth Leadership Forum in Engineering and Technology. She is a role model for other female students by excelling in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She was the recipient of the 2016 Jefferson Book Award of the University of Virginia. She served as captain of the Lakeland High School Scholastic/Academic Team and was elected by her fellow students to serve as president of the Lakeland chapter of the National Honor Society.

Ms. Bailey will attend the University of Virginia in the fall, and plans to major in chemical engineering.

In addition to many larger donors from Suffolk, New England and across the United States, 51 of the Blair grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren donated to the Blair Memorial Scholarship endowment.