High school never really seemed like the answer for Eric Dowdy.

He was more interested in the sights and adventures he knew his dad experienced as a long-haul truck driver.

“I quit school when I was 16,” he said last week as he greeted the public at the Dawson County Learning Center, where he recently obtained his GED.

A week and a half earlier, the Dawson County man was awarded the Sue Tennant Honorary Scholarship by the Reading Education Association of Dawson County for his outstanding achievement.

“We are so proud of all of our graduates,” said Sandy Lipkowitz, READ board member and executive director of the Adult Learning Center on Hwy. 9, in downtown Dawsonville.

The READ board gathered last Tuesday evening at the Adult Learning Center and invited the community to see the educational possibilities the center, which is a division of Lanier Tech, and the READ organization offer the community.

Dowdy said he is grateful the center is available to adults wishing to make changes in their lives and thankful READ supports the center.

“I wanted to get my GED, because I want to do more,” he said.

Dowdy is currently working with Lanier Tech to try to secure additional scholarships in hopes of continuing his education.

Carol Tyger, chairman of the READ board, said she’d love to see more people in the community get involved, beginning with the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, “Are You Smarter Than a 10-year-old,” which will be held in October.

Sponsorships for the event, which raised more than $17,000 in 2008, are available for $300. Proceeds benefit READ’s many community literacy projects.

For more information, call (706) 579-1771.