Few people leave a mark on a community that can be measured in thousands of lives changed. But Kitty Porterfield, an educator, advocate, philanthropist and founder of the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, did exactly that. Named a 2025 Living Legend of Alexandria, Porterfield died Oct. 16 following an 18-month battle with breast cancer leaving behind a legacy of opportunity, compassion and unwavering dedication to the youth of Alexandria. She was 85.

Katherine “Kitty” Burnett was born April 24, 1941, in Albany, N.Y., to the Reverend Brewer L. Burnett, a Presbyterian minister, and Katherine Burnett (née Howland). She grew up in Scranton, Pa., then continued her education at Radcliffe College of Harvard University graduating with a degree in government in 1963. That same year she married Jovan Porterfield of Waxahachie, Texas, and moved to Alexandria, where they raised three children and built a life centered on service.

For more than three decades, Porterfield dedicated herself to public education, serving as communications director for both Alexandria City Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools. At Fairfax County, she played a pivotal role during critical events such as September 11th and the 2002 Northern Virginia sniper attacks, earning accolades from the U.S. Departments of Education and Homeland Security for her exceptional crisis communication efforts, including the prestigious National School Public Relations Gold Medallion.

Yet it was one simple question that would become her life's defining contribution. While helping her daughter navigate college applications and financial aid forms in the early 1980s, Porterfield wondered how families without similar resources managed the process. Rather than simply moving on when her own child's paperwork was complete, she set out to help others. That vision led to the creation of the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria in 1985.

“While tending to my own children, I knew many of their peers also needed that same care and feeding,” said Porterfield when named a Living Legend of Alexandria. “So I essentially replicated the process I went through with my own children.”

What began with a handful of scholarships has grown into one of Alexandria's most influential nonprofit organizations. Since its founding, the fund has awarded nearly $25 million in scholarships to more than 6,000 graduates of Alexandria City Public Schools, helping young people pursue college and career opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.

Porterfield's civic involvement extended far beyond scholarships. She served on the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, the Northern Virginia Community College Board, Hopkins House and the US Rowing Board of Directors.

“I remember Kitty going back to work during my childhood,” said Deborah Porterfield. “Still when I look at her CV I don’t know how she did it all. I don’t know where she found the time to give so much to the community and still be a dedicated and loving mom to our family.”

During critical years when a new boathouse project was being approved and constructed, Porterfield was serving as the President of the Alexandria Crew Boosters at TC Williams High School. The result, The Dee Campbell Rowing Center, was dedicated in 1986 and remains the only high school boathouse owned by a public school system in Northern Virginia.

In addition, Porterfield served as the Founding Chair for the Mid-Atlantic Erg Sprints — still presented annually by the Alexandria City High School Crew Boosters. This event is recognized as a premiere rowing event as well as serving as a key fundraiser for the ACHS crew programs and still follows closely the format Porterfield first implemented at the inaugural event.

Porterfield was an enthusiastic traveler, exploring every corner of the globe, from Kathmandu to Tasmania. She loved sharing her passion for travel with her mother and grandchildren, and later enjoyed exploring new places with her companion, Bruce Miller.

“Mom was a lover of Sante Fe, Native American history and crafts,” Deborah Porterfield added. “She made multiple trips with her mother and found shared interests with each of her grandkids, taking each one on a special 5th grade trip.”

An avid supporter of the arts, she held season tickets for Arena Stage for many years and was a regular attendee at jazz concerts throughout the DC area. Other passions over the years included photography, rowing and collecting antique prints and maps and Native American pottery. She devoted herself to a number of causes including Sibshops, which support siblings of children with disabilities.

“As we are going through mementos at our childhood home I am struck by the number of passions and interests my mother had,” added Deborah Porterfield. “She loved sharing these passions with my father and then with her friend Bruce after my father died.”

Porterfield was predeceased by her husband Jovan Porterfield in 2006. She is survived by her brother, John Burnett, of Rochester, N.Y.; her children, Karen Porterfield and her husband Steve Gamble, of Washington, DC; Deborah Porterfield, MD, MPH, and her husband, Christopher Klipstein, MD, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Michael Porterfield and his wife, Emily Porterfield, of Alexandria; her five grandchildren, Keely Porterfield Harrah and her husband MacGreggor Harrah, Kirby Porterfield, Nicholas Klipstein, Braden Porterfield, and Catherine Klipstein; and her longtime companion Bruce Miller.

A celebration of life will be held on Dec. 5, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Russell Road in Alexandria. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria or Jazz at Meade (Meade Memorial Episcopal Church).

Porterfield's influence can be found throughout Alexandria in the accomplishments of former scholarship recipients, educators, community leaders and families whose futures were changed because she believed every young person deserved a chance to succeed.

Her legacy is not simply the organization she founded, but the generations of Alexandrians who walked through doors she helped open.

Said Deborah Porterfield, “It really helps our family to know that so many are supporting us and sharing in our grief.”