Bonds Family Honored with Education Scholarship for Undergraduates

Members of the College of Education and the Bulloch County community have donated funds to endow an undergraduate education scholarship in the name of two exceptional Georgia Southern University alumni. The Dr. Charles and Dr. Lella Bonds Scholarship, is available to students pursuing degrees in education.

Professor Emeritus Charles Bond was the first African American faculty member at Georgia Southern when he joined the University in 1972 as an instructor for the Right to Read program. Affectionately known by his students as the Reading Professor, he was also the first Black faculty member to earn tenure at Georgia Southern.

Lella Bonds earned an Education Specialist in Early Childhood Education degree at Georgia Southern and served as a demonstration teacher at the University’s Marvin Pittman Laboratory School, where student teachers interned at the on-site lab school. She served as a mentor for early childhood pre-service teachers while also educating students of Bulloch County.

During their time as faculty members at the University, the Bonds served as advisors to student organizations including the Black Student Alliance and Greek chapters for minority students. They also wrote books and researched and documented historical aspects of Bulloch County. Today, they continue to serve the community’s youth through their efforts with local organizations including Original First African Baptist Church.