UNC Asheville will host a kickoff ceremony for the William F. Wolcott Jr. Scholarship campaign at 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 14, at the Wolcott Public Works Building in downtown Asheville. Established by friends and family, the annual endowed scholarship will benefit a UNCA student in memory of Wolcott, whose half-century of service to the City of Asheville is legendary. The event is open to the public.

Born in Asheville and educated at UNC Chapel Hill and the Virginia Military Institute, Wolcott entered his public career in 1946 as a civil engineer. Over the years he served the City of Asheville as director of aviation, assistant city manager, associate city manager, city clerk and acting city manager. Until his retirement in 1996, Wolcott was involved in almost every project undertaken by the city, from buildings, streets, water lines and parks to construction of the North Fork Dam, the Asheville Airport and the Civic Center. He was a member of the first Leadership Asheville for Seniors class, the Country Club, Rotary Club, YMCA Board of Directors and the Parks and Recreation Long Range Advisory Committee. Wolcott died in 1999 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

For more information or to contribute to the scholarship, call Alex Comfort, UNCA Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development, at 828/251-6080.