HLSCC Receives $35K Bequest From Late BVI Resident

The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) has received $35,916.39 from the estate of Alfrieda Mae “Gale” Johnston, a former Hodge’s Creek resident and United States Navy veteran who died in November 2018 at the age of 96.

Johnston named the College as a beneficiary of an investment account before her death. After the estate was settled and five holdings were sold, the proceeds were transferred to HLSCC in May 2026.

The funds have been entrusted to the HLSCC Foundation to support educational opportunities for Virgin Islands students.

“We are deeply grateful to Ms Johnston for remembering H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in her will,” said College President Dr Richard Georges.

He said Johnston had no direct family connection to HLSCC but chose to invest in its students’ future.

Johnston served as a photographer and recruiter in the United States Navy during the Second World War. She received an honourable discharge in November 1945 and was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and the American Area Campaign Medal. She died on 17 November 2018, aged 96.