Esther Wilburn Barnes Piano Scholarship

Established in 1999, this scholarship honors the life of Esther Wilburn Barnes. Born in Monticello, Georgia in 1901, Barnes was the first honor graduate in her high school graduating class at Jasper County High School. She attended Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville where she served as president for her class and after graduation, she taught music. However, she went back to school at Wesleyan College and received a music diploma and relocated to Statesboro, Georgia in 1929 where she taught at Georgia Southern for many years. During her time, she served as president of the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs, Trustee of Tallulah Falls School, president of the local Women’s Club, and president of the Statesboro Music Club. She also was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the First Baptist church where she volunteered as an organist and choir director. This scholarship is available to full-time students pursuing a Music degree with an emphasis in piano. Preference will be given to junior and senior students and they must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.