A.G. Lockhart Memorial Scholarships honor seven Manchester High seniors

Traevyn Hilderbrand, Elijah Crabtree, Joel Blythe, Landen Doyle, Abby Lucas, Kenidee Turner and Parker Hayslip were named this year’s A.G. Lockhart Memorial Scholarship recipients from Manchester High School in Manchester, Ohio, a recognition that tied seven seniors to one of Adams County’s most personal school traditions. The awards do more than help with tuition: they mark a handoff from one generation of Manchester families to the next, with the Lockhart name still standing beside students as they move toward college, trade training or another step beyond high school. Photos from the June 6 presentation showed the recipients with Jenny Lockhart, Kara Kingsolver, Kenyan Kingsolver, Austin Kingsolver and Aaron Lockhart, underscoring how closely the scholarship remains tied to family and school community.

This year’s seven recipients expanded a pattern that has been building in Manchester. In 2024, four Manchester High graduates received the scholarships, and in 2022 the awards were described as the second annual presentation. The steady repetition matters in a county where scholarship money often comes from named families and donor funds rather than large anonymous programs, and where each award carries both financial help and public encouragement.

A.G. Lockhart’s own local history helps explain why the scholarship resonates. His 2020 obituary described him as involved in Manchester athletics, tying the memorial award to the school experiences that still shape many families in town. Jenny Lockhart was later identified as working in the Manchester Local School District high school cafeteria, another sign that the scholarship is rooted in daily school life, not just ceremony.

The Lockhart scholarships also fit into a wider Adams County network of student aid. The Adams County Community Foundation says it offers scholarships for students heading to college or vocational or trade school, and its fund list includes the Adams County Scholarship Fund, Charles Hugh McGovney Scholarship Fund, Earl and Helen Johnson Scholarship Fund and C.E. Smith Family Scholarship Fund. The C.E. Smith Family Scholarship Fund was established in 2022 and had awarded 26 scholarships by May 31, 2024, while the foundation said it awarded 35 scholarships in 2024 and 91 over five years.

For Hilderbrand, Crabtree, Blythe, Doyle, Lucas, Turner and Hayslip, the award gives more than a line on a diploma. It helps cover the transition from Manchester High to the next phase this fall, and it signals that Adams County still invests in students through relationships that are personal, durable and visible.