A gift that represents three generations of University of Mississippi alumni is expected to help even more generations of engineering students.
With a $50,000 gift to the university, retired UM professor T.E. Horton Jr. of Houston, Texas, established the Horton Family Endowed Scholarship for Geology and Geological Engineering.
When Horton traveled from California where he had been working for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Oxford, Mississippi, in the early 1960s, he couldn’t have known his new position on the School of Engineering faculty was setting the foundation for a family tradition. Soon after they settled in, their children, Tom “Tom-Tom” Horton III and his sister, Holly Horton (now Smith), were born, and Ole Miss became woven into the fabric of their lives.
For decades, T.E. Horton served as a mechanical engineering professor and later as chair of the Faculty Senate.
“Tom Horton (Jr.) was a strong, productive member of our engineering faculty. An excellent teacher and researcher, he was an effective administrator as well,” said Chancellor Emeritus Robert C. Khayat of his friend and former neighbor in Oxford. “He was often a member of important university committees and brought clear, thorough and insightful perspectives to discussions and recommendations. The endowed scholarship is a fine recognition of Dr. Tom Horton and the Horton family.
“And,” Khayat recalled, “Tom had a great sense of humor with a captivating full-throated, sincere laugh!”
The Hortons and Khayats were active members of Oxford-University United Methodist Church, where they attended Sunday School and worship services together for the many years the Horton family lived in Oxford.
Even after the elder Horton retired and moved to Houston, Texas, the university remained a defining part of his family’s story. Tom Horton III followed in his father’s footsteps, enrolling at Ole Miss and earning a degree in geological engineering; his sister is also a UM graduate.
Today, Tom-Tom Horton serves as senior vice president for Ensign Drilling in Houston, where he and his wife, Bonnie, live.
When their son began exploring degree programs and campus visits, “It was my dad who convinced him,” Tom-Tom Horton recalled. “He told him geological engineering was broad and would open more doors than petroleum engineering. That advice sealed the deal.”
The decision rekindled the family’s connection to the university with Tom-Tom finding himself walking the same paths he had taken decades earlier — this time with his son, Thomas Horton IV, known to family and friends as IV (pronounced I.V.).
The spark for Professor Horton’s eventual gift came unexpectedly.
While helping his father with yearly taxes, Tom-Tom noticed his father directing required IRA distributions to organizations with which he had no affinity.
“I finally said, ‘Dad, why don’t you do something for Ole Miss — something that reflects your life and legacy?’”
That conversation planted the seed for establishing support for geological engineering students. Though Tom-Tom assumed his father might prefer to make a gift associated with the discipline he taught for decades — mechanical engineering — the elder Horton insisted otherwise. Geological engineering was where both his son and grandson made their mark, and he wanted to honor that.
The result is a scholarship designed to support undergraduate students — especially those who simply need encouragement or resources to stay in the program. Supporting students in this field felt like giving back to something with both personal meaning and global importance.
“Geological engineers serve in critical capacities applying engineering tools to earth materials and processes, including mineral extraction, slope stability, highway and structure foundations, seismic risks, environmental protection, groundwater replenishment and much more,” said Gregg Davidson, professor of geology and geological engineering, expressing deep appreciation for the former faculty member’s gift.
“Scholarships like the Hortons’ endowment not only help promising lower-income students complete their degrees but also enable them to avoid graduating with unreasonable debt,” he said.
IV Horton’s own graduation in 2023 provided the family with one of the most memorable moments of this multi‑generational journey. As he stepped off the stage, diploma in hand, one of his grandfather’s former graduate students — now a retiring professor himself — rose from his seat, hugged the young man and congratulated him. It was a moment that encapsulated more than 60 years of connection to the School of Engineering.
“We didn’t push our son toward Ole Miss or engineering,” Tom-Tom reflected. “He made his own decisions. And watching him thrive has been one of the great joys of my life.”
Today, IV Horton works as a production engineer for Mewbourne Oil in Hobbs, New Mexico.
Ole Miss remains at the heart of their family, despite their distance from Oxford. Tom-Tom Horton serves on the Engineering Alumni Advisory Board as well as the Geological Engineering and Geology advisory boards — roles that allow him to support the institution that shaped his family.
The Horton family’s gift, rooted in a lifetime of connection and three unique Ole Miss journeys, will now help future generations find their place in the School of Engineering — just as they did.
The Horton Family Endowed Scholarship for Geology and Geological Engineering welcomes additional support from individuals and businesses. Gifts may be made by sending a check to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, with the fund name included in the memo line, or by giving online here.
For information about supporting the School of Engineering, contact Madi Thorpe, associate director of development, at mlthorp@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1122.
By Bill Dabney / UM Foundation