Georgia Southern University has awarded the first Paul and Ivey Beardslee Scholarship to Joseph Ferreira, a 2008 graduate of Bryan County High School . Ferreira, the son of Richard and Katherine Ferreira, will begin pre-business studies at Georgia Southern in the fall 2008 semester.

"We are pleased to announce this $2,500 scholarship award to Joseph Ferreira," said Michelle Pittman, director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving at the University. "The Beardslee scholarship is a wonderful way for the family of Paul and Ivey Beardslee to create a legacy for their parents. As an endowed gift, the scholarship will continue to benefit Georgia Southern students in perpetuity."

The Beardslee Scholarship honors the couple who, along with their family, built the Pembroke Telephone Company into a state-of-the-art resource that serves the communication needs of north Bryan County . Last year the Pembroke Telephone Company created the endowment to provide scholarship support for Georgia Southern University students from Bryan County majoring in Information Technology or Business Administration.