_{^{Brink House, Castle St., John H. Howe (Builder and former owner)}}

Who is eligible and how to apply?

Any African-American student from the Wilmington, NC metroplex area (including surrounding counties) who is pursuing a post-secondary degree or certification in the building arts & sciences (such as associates, baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degrees in architectural or other relevant fields) is eligible for the Scholarship award. Applications are available to download (see Download Application below) and from St. Stephen AME Church of Wilmington, NC. St. Stephen will oversee the annual selection of a qualified Scholarship recipient. Church or religious affiliation of any kind is not a requirement or consideration.

St. Stephen was chosen to award the yearly scholarship because of the 19th and 20th century membership of Howe family members William C. Howe, his wife Mary Elizabeth Howe, and their daughter Athalia Howe. At the time of the scholarship’s establishment, in December 2021, Athalia’s great-granddaughter, Cynthia Brown, is an active member of St. Stephen, serving as Christian Education Director, Church Historian, and Scholarship Committee member. Her Howe family lineage, community work to uplift Wilmington’s African-American history, and her work with other organizations in awarding scholarships to deserving minority students complement this fund’s objectives.

Moreover, it is expected that St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of Wilmington, NC, whose founding members included the Howe family patriarch, Alfred Augustus Howe, will be advised of this endowment and encouraged to support St Stephen’s widespread recruitment of qualified and deserving students who may benefit from this fund.

Lucy McCauley (McKoy descendant) & Cynthia Brown (Howe descendant)
with historic plaque: “Alfred Howe, Carpenter” (Note: House no longer remains in family)