[TUSCALOOSA, Ala.] — The University of Alabama National Alumni Association celebrated the endowment of the James L. Kornegay Jr. and Sara P. Kornegay Memorial NAA Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship was established by the Clarke County Chapter of the NAA to support future UA students.
James and Sara Kornegay were born and raised in Bibb County, Alabama. They married in January 1944, when he came home on leave from World War II, and were married for 72 years. They had four children, all University of Alabama graduates, as are six of their 10 grandchildren and one great-grandson. James Kornegay was the first known high school graduate in his family line and the first college graduate. He served four years in the U.S. Navy submarine service and enrolled at the University in 1946, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was known as an innovator in education, and he was responsible for opening the Bibb County Vocational School, which still exists today.
Sara Kornegay graduated from Central Wesleyan boarding school, where she also completed one year of college. She owned her own beauty shop and was the force behind establishing the first Coffeeville Public Library. She worked as a secretary and bookkeeper at Bibb County Schools and volunteered extensively in schools and civic organizations. This scholarship reflects the Kornegays’ desire to help the children of the counties in which they lived and worked, while promoting their belief in public education.
Pictured at the 2026 Scholarship Endowment Dinner, from left to right: NAA president Carol Sprayberry, Angela Dean Morrison, Amy Dean Kennedy, Toni Vaughn, Kayla Vaughn, Clarke County Chapter president Carmen Rotch and NAA executive director Jimmy Warren.
The NAA celebrated the official endowment of 25 new alumni scholarships at the annual Scholarship Endowment Dinner on September 4.
NAA membership directly benefits scholarships for future students, providing crucial opportunities for the next generation of the Bama family. Last year, the NAA provided approximately 3,000 students with more than $5 million in scholarships. Total NAA scholarship contributions reached more than $3.2 million for the 2025–26 fiscal year.
The National Alumni Association is a self-governed, nonprofit membership-based organization that serves The University of Alabama and its many alumni, students, families, friends and fans.
