Taylor Allison J.D. ’20 and Alexander Brinkley ’19 Honored as 2018 Anderson Scholars
Two William & Mary students—Taylor Allison J.D. ’20 and Alexander Brinkley ’19—were honored as TowneBank’s 2018 Alvin P. Anderson Scholars during a reception on Sept. 18 at the bank’s Monticello Avenue office in Williamsburg, Va.
The Anderson Scholars program honors the contributions of the late Alvin P. Anderson, a 1970 graduate of William & Mary and 1972 graduate of the Law School, who was a managing partner at Kaufman & Canoles.
During the reception, Anderson’s wife, Betsy, shared her thoughts about the many excellent candidates for the award, and why Allison and Brinkley stood out.
“The most important thing that I saw in them were the aspects that reminded me of Alvin’s character, and his integrity, and his responsibility—all of the things that made him the person he was,” Anderson said. “It’s not just the grades or the activities; it’s the life that they live.”
Alvin P. Anderson practiced law at Kaufman & Canoles and was also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee until shortly before his death in 2008. His civic contributions during his 36-year legal career were numerous. He served on TowneBank’s Hampton Roads, Peninsula, and Williamsburg boards, and was a director of the Riverside Healthcare Association and a director of Hampton Roads Academy. He also was the commissioner in chancery and the commissioner of accounts for the circuit courts of the City of Williamsburg and James City County.
Anderson received the William & Mary Alumni Medallion in 1998 in recognition of his professional achievements and outstanding commitment to his alma mater, and also served as a member of William & Mary’s Board of Visitors, as a trustee of the Law School Foundation, and as president of the Alumni Association.
Law School honoree Allison earned her undergraduate degree in business administration and political science from St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, where she was an NCAA Division 1 basketball player for four years. At graduation, she received the Scholar Athlete Award for the Northeast Conference, given to the athlete in any sport with the highest GPA in the Conference. She is a member of the William & Mary Law Review, won the book award for her contracts class, and was selected to be a teaching assistant for a constitutional law professor this year. Next summer she will work for the firm of Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.
“To see the legacy that Mr. Anderson left behind—and to emulate that—is really meaningful,” Allison said. “To see somebody who had such a wonderful impact on the community is really something that I aspire to be in life.”
At the Mason School of Business, Brinkley is a business analytics major specializing in bringing together the latest computer techniques to answer important questions. A member of the Honor Council and other leadership positions, he is also minoring in psychology and has a concentration in consulting.
“I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Anderson, but all the people here are testament to who he was,” Brinkley said. “I’d like to thank Mrs. Anderson for everything that she does for the community, and for all of us who are here because of the incredible impact that she and her husband have.”
Each student received a $5,000 scholarship and an inscribed crystal vase. The first two Anderson Scholars were selected in 2010. Betsy Anderson has served as president of the William & Mary Alumni Association (2008–09) and is a trustee of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law Foundation (2011–present).
“Taylor and Alexander are reflective of the kind of person that Alvin was, and it’s nice to see those traits continuing into the future,” Betsy Anderson said. “I’m very happy about that.”
About William & Mary Law School
Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School in 1779 to train leaders for the new nation. Now in its third century, America's oldest law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.