The Irma & Roger Powell Good Citizen Scholarship recognizes those students that serve their community just like the efforts of the Powells and will be awarded to a student continuing on to a four year university, community college, technical school, or vocational school who has significantly contributed to their school environment and community through their volunteer activities. Who are these students? They may organize their peers in high school to benefit others. They may volunteer for community service, school fundraising for the community, collect for the food bank, work with Scouting, equine therapy – the possibilities are endless. Let us know what you are doing to make your community a better place.
Who were Irma and Roger Powell?
Roger Powell was born in Broad Run, Loudoun County, in 1906. He worked in law enforcement in Loudoun until he enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served for the duration of the war as a Military Policeman. He was a Loudoun County deputy sheriff from 1949 to 1951 and then ran for and won the office of Sheriff of Loudoun County, serving from January 1, 1952 through December 1959. He said that when he was Sheriff he had to buy all his equipment, including a police car. He later served with the Leesburg Police Department.
Roger was married to Erma Powell and when he served as Sheriff, she cooked 3 meals a day for the prisoners. He was very interested in genealogy and kept a record of Loudoun citizens’ birth, marriage and death dates. These records are now at the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg. In his later years he lived in Lovettsville on Downey Mill Road.