An April 21 fundraiser at the University of Mississippi honors the memory of beloved UM administrator T.P. Vinson and supports the scholarship endowment bearing his name.
The second annual Dr. T.P. Vinson Memorial Scholarship Walk/Run benefits the Dr. Theopolis Pride Vinson Memorial Scholarship Endowment and offers health screenings and information related to cancer.
The event is scheduled 7:30-9 a.m. at the Lyceum Circle, and registration begins at 7 a.m. A donation of at least $25 is requested for individual participants and at least $250 for teams, limited to 10 members. Each participant receives a T-shirt.
Door prizes are to be available, as well as a raffle of various items, including a coveted parking pass for the 2007 football season, baseball tickets and a $20 gift certificate from a local spa, as well as game balls autographed by baseball coach Mike Bianco, basketball coach Andy Kennedy and football coach Ed Orgeron.
"Dr. Vinson lived his life to serve others, and he was able to do so through education and his church," said Germain McConnell, assistant dean of the School of Education. "He’d be honored to know young people continue to benefit through his namesake."
The first African-American faculty member at the university to have a scholarship named in his honor, Vinson was director of undergraduate advising and records, assistant dean and assistant professor of curriculum and instruction. He taught, advised and recruited students on the UM campuses in Oxford, Southaven and Tupelo.
To honor Vinson’s legacy, a $10,000 endowment was seeded at UM by his widow, Jacqueline, project coordinator at the university. The endowment funds a $500 scholarship awarded annually to a full-time junior or senior black student who demonstrates extraordinary leadership ability and community service in the teacher education program.
Jacqueline Vinson said her husband would want the scholarship recipient to be someone who loves mankind and actively works to improve the community:
"Thea delighted himself in seeing young people setting and accomplishing worthwhile goals," she said.
Vinson is also survived by his daughter, Aleah, and twin sons, Alex and J.T.
Tax deductible donations to the Dr. Theopolis Pride Vinson Memorial Scholarship Endowment can be sent to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655, or made online at http://www.umf.olemiss.edu/makeagift
For more information about the fundraiser or to download a registration form, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/educ_school2
For those requiring assistance due to a disability, call Whitney Webb at 662-915-7906.