The scholarship, an award equal to full in-state tuition, fees, room and board, plus a book allowance, was established in 1998 by a generous gift from Irene Lundy Brown, a member of the class of 1939. The recipient of the scholarship must be a resident of Virginia who has been accepted to the college as a full-time student under the honors admission program. Preference is given to finalists or semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholarship competition, valedictorians and salutatorians.
Consideration also is given to the candidate's extracurricular activities and community involvement.
MacDonald is the son of Kevin and Ginny MacDonald of Fredericksburg and will graduate from Chancellor High School in June. While in high school, MacDonald has been a member of the Art Honor Society and Latin Honor Society. He has served as president of the Latin Club and received numerous awards including several medals from the Classical Association of Virginia for statewide Latin exams, and three gold medals on the National Latin Exam. Also involved in the arts, MacDonald attended the Governor's School for Visual Arts and has received many competition awards in piano performance and studio art. His other activities include serving as vice president of the St. Patrick's Church Youth Group and the church's head youth lector.