Herman and Virginia Adolphsen Memorial Scholarship

Herman and Virginia Adolphsen grew up in the area. They settled in Chehalis upon Herman’s discharge from the Navy. Herman had many jobs in order to provide for his family, including a position with the Washington State Patrol as a driver’s license examiner. In 1967, he started a career in real estate and continued this work until retirement in 1988.

Herman and Virginia both believed in community and were actively involved in Chehalis. Both were active with their church and its ministries. Herman spearheaded a fundraising campaign for the first K-9 unit for the Chehalis Police Department. They also became involved in support of Centralia College and its programs that serve many W. F. West graduates.

As parents, the Adolphsens wanted their daughters to have an education beyond high school. It was important to them that their girls could always be independent. The daughters grew up understanding that education was stressed, and valued for them, as well as for students in the community. With that legacy in mind, and in honor of their parents, the daughters of Herman and Virginia are awarding scholarships to W. F. West seniors planning to attend Centralia College. It is the hope of the family that these scholarships will be used as stepping stones for each recipient’s further education.