Honoring Local Educator and Former ESCC Instructor

 Former Eastern Shore Community College instructor and alum, Ms. Diane E. Ames passed away on June 2, 2024. A career educator, Diane touched many lives in her career. She found teaching a rewarding career choice while enjoying making a difference in a person’s life. 

Diane dedicated over 37 years to nurturing future leaders through her business education classes in Accomack County Public Schools and business and technology classes at Eastern Shore Community College. Her influence reached far beyond the academic setting, enriching lives through her involvement with the Girl Scouts and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). 

With the Girl Scouts she served as a troop leader with over forty youth, spanning all levels ages 5-18 in the early 1990s, meeting at Eastern Shore Community College. During the first year of the troop, they sold over $28,000 worth of Girl Scout Cookies, a significant amount at that time, equivalent to $68,000 today. Members participated in educational activities, field trips, camping trips, and various educational programs. One project was a time capsule that was excavated 20 years later in 2012 at ESCC. 

Her commitment to lifelong learning and her ability to inspire both young and adult students made her a pillar of the educational community. The teaching profession, while challenging, allowed her to make a profound impact on countless individuals. 

Diane taught at Eastern Shore Community College from February 2007 through June of 2009 as a Continuing Education and Workforce Development Instructor, teaching evening computer classes such as Excel, Access, Word and PowerPoint. From August 2013 through August of 2016, she taught as an adjunct instructor for Computer Applications and Concepts, Keyboarding, Office Administration, Machine Transcription, Editing and Proofreading, and Microsoft Office. 

This was all in addition to her ongoing role as a Business Education Instructor for Accomack Country Public Schools from 1979 through 2015, where she also additionally served as a Computer Lab Instructor for the Summer Migratory Program. 

Diane also utilized Eastern Shore Community College on multiple occasions through the years to supplement her computer credentials and in specialty areas such as income tax preparation and medical software training. Elsewhere in the Virginia Community College System she had also attended J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond for computer training in the mid to late nineties. 

In tribute to her legacy, the family has established the “Diane E. Ames Scholarship Fund” to support Nandua High School graduating seniors who aspire to pursue careers in business or education. This scholarship, awarded through a selective application process, aims to continue Ms. Ames’s vision of empowering students to achieve their academic and professional goals. 

The mission of this scholarship is to enable students to pursue their academic and professional goals, and honor the memory of Diane Ames. While a website is being established, donations may be mailed to The Diane E. Ames Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 321, Onley, Virginia 23418.