Zachary Hunter White, son of Chris and Brandy White of Flomaton, has been named the winner of this year’s Solon Lee Gandy Memorial Scholarship.
With a grade point average of 3.0 at Flomaton High School, White has played several years of baseball and football. He is active with the Flomaton Volunteer Fire Department and Friendship Freewill Baptist Church. He has also served as a Jr. Commander with the Royal Rangers Youth Group.
"Of all of the applicants, Hunter White's essay really stood out," said Committee Member Brenda Godwin, who is also Solon Gandy's mother. "At the age of 17, he had a life-changing experience. Because of an accident with a large firework, Hunter was left with only his pinky finger and the palm of his right hand. This was also his dominant hand," Godwin added. "According to his essay, he has had to change his plans enlisting early in the Air Force, but he has mastered learning how to throw a baseball, with only his pinky and palm. He also had to figure out a way to swing the bat." Godwin also commented that White's love of hunting was quickly ended because he had lost his ability to pull his rifle trigger, but he found a way to shoot with his pinky finger. It took him a while, but he figured it out and even killed a deer. The committee was thrilled to see this sort of determination in a young person in the Tri-County area and chose him as a result.
The Solon Lee Gandy Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008 in memory of Solon Gandy, a 1990 Flomaton High School graduate. Solon was a member of the 1988 Flomaton High School State Baseball Championship team and was a four-year member of the high school Hurricane football team. This scholarship was established to help foster the love of nature and sports in a deserving Flomaton and /or a Jay senior. The scholarship was started by Solon’s father, Coach Bill Gandy, who passed away of cancer in 2015. Hunter White is the 20th recipient of this scholarship.
