Ed Scruggs is a 1952 Virginia Tech graduate and a lifelong Virginia Tech football super fan. He currently resides at Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehab Center and most days you can see him wheeling down the hallway with his VT hat or sweatshirt on, smiling.
Recently he was selected as November’s “Star for the Day” at Brandon Oaks’ Nursing and Rehab Center. The “Star for the Day” program is similar to the “Make a Wish” program where a resident’s name is chosen each month and they are able to essentially give a wish list of something they would really like to do, somewhere they would like to go or even a special meal they would like.
Activities Director, Stephen Davies just knew that Scruggs would love something to do with Virginia Tech for his special day. Davies and his team were notified that the Roanoke Valley Hokie Club would be hosting Frank Beamer as a speaker at a luncheon on November 8th at Hidden Valley Country Club. Luckily, Brandon Oaks has a few Hokie Club members as residents, one in particular who truly wanted to help make Scruggs’ day special, Sam Lionberger, Jr. Lionberger organized the visit with the Hokie Club members.
The day came for the luncheon and Scruggs was delighted, Beamer even spoke about him in his speech. During Beamer’s dialogue, unbeknownst to the Brandon Oaks staff members in attendance, Scruggs and his wife had established a scholarship many years ago specifically for football players – the Ed & Barbara Scruggs Tailback Position Scholarship. He sincerely loves Virginia Tech football.
The whole room was decorated in Virginia Tech décor and Ed was able to take some of it back with him to adorn the walls of his room. The most exciting part for Scruggs was when Beamer signed a football and gifted it to him. Beamer and the Roanoke Valley Hokie Club truly went above and beyond to make Scruggs’ special day memorable. “One thing I loved about it was all the attention that Ed received, even with someone as legendary as Frank Beamer in the room, they really made Ed feel like he was the star,” Davies said.
