John L. Covington, Jr. & Robert J. Lukey LGBTQ+ Endowed/Annual Scholarship

Dr. John L. Covington and Professor Robert John Lukey were a married couple. Theirs was a relationship of deep commitment and enduring love that spanned almost 36 years. It was cut short when John died in 2020 after a 15-year battle with scleroderma. They had a passion for travel, for the arts, for healthcare and for education. John was a dentist who graduated from the College of Charleston in 1984 and from the MUSC Dental School in 1988. He ran the Sexton Dental Clinic in Myrtle Beach. Robert was a graduate of the University Pretoria, The New School for Social Research in New York and The Citadel in Charleston. He was the arts and sciences department chair at Johnson & Wales University in Charleston. They had no children, but with this scholarship, they aim to “adopt” promising young people and to help foster their education. Both John and Robert were deeply committed to helping others regardless of age, race, religion, origin and, most importantly, sexual orientation/identification. It is their fervent wish that the students who receive this scholarship shall have similar values and shall have expressed those prior to receiving the scholarship.

This scholarship will provide support for LGBTQ+ students who exhibit high financial need, particularly those who have demonstrated active support or involvement in areas of concern to the LGBTQ+ community. The scholarship is renewable depending on recipients’ continuing academic performance as designated by the College.

If LGBTQ+ students do not apply or exhibit high financial need, the scholarship may support any student exhibiting high financial need who has demonstrated active support or involvement in areas of concern to the LGBTQ+ community.