Alumna’s military roots inspire scholarship for service members and their families
Sallie Galloway Gill ’65 knows the sacrifices military families make in service to their country.
On the night she was born, her father sailed for North Africa during World War II and didn’t return until she was 3. Her brother was a decorated U.S. Army lieutenant killed in Vietnam. And her husband spent over three decades in the Marine Corps Reserve.
“A life in the military is honorable and good, but it puts strains and stresses on families that most people will never know, experience, or understand,” said Sallie, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Mary Washington.
Both Sallie and husband George relied on private support to attend college, inspiring them to create the Carrie S. and Arthur L. Galloway Scholarship at the University of Mary Washington. Their generous gifts – including recognizing UMW in their estate plans – support numerous students from military families, veterans, and current service members earning their degrees.
“We wanted to honor my parents and family by helping others who’ve chosen to serve their country,” said Sallie, the first-ever recipient of the Lt. Gen. Albert J. Bowley Scholarship at Mary Washington. “George and I were both raised in homes where finances were tight, but love, guidance, and a desire for us to succeed were abundant.”
As a child, Sallie’s family moved across the U.S., Taiwan, and Germany. Everywhere they went, her parents encouraged their children to learn about languages, history, and people.
Sallie found the right fit for a history major at Mary Washington, where she fell in love with the stately brick architecture, ivy-covered grounds, and a charming city full of historical sites and cemeteries, perfect for someone with a passion for studying the past.
Faculty members like Myra Irby, Donald Glover, and Samuel T. Emory “opened up new worlds for those of us lucky to learn from them,” Sallie said. She furthered her love of history while working at the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library as part of the Bowley Scholarship, and worked in Seacobeck Hall to fill in the gaps. “I enjoyed the comradery,” she said, “as well as taking pride in helping financially with the cost of college.”
After graduation, Sallie taught high school geography in her hometown of Newport News, Virginia. She soon met George, stationed in Yorktown, through a young adult group at their church. He had attended Vanderbilt University on a scholarship he earned through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) and held several campus jobs to support his own education. They married a year later and moved across the country, eventually settling outside of Chicago.
The couple, who are members of UMW’s Heritage Society, returned to her alma mater two years ago to attend the spring Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase, where they met their recipient, Jarad Ponce ’24, a veteran who is now an early venture consultant with UMW’s Small Business Development Center.
“George and I were delighted our scholarship was helping someone so deserving and willing to work hard to achieve his ambitions,” Sallie said of Jarad, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Mary Washington after serving in the Marine Corps. “Our goal is to help future generations by supporting young people in the way that others supported us.”
For information about supporting student success through scholarships now and through your estate plans, email Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn or call 540-654-2063.
This article was written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 and originally ran in the Spring 2026 Gift Planning Connections newsletter.
The annual Donor Appreciation Celebration was held virtually March 20, 2021, through ZOOM. More than 150 guests were in attendance, including endowment donors, members of the Washington and Heritage Societies, faculty representatives, scholarships recipients, and student ambassadors.
