Bill Dabney

OXFORD, Miss. – The late Emmette and Nannie Hale of Senatobia survived the Great Depression when there were few educational opportunities – a fact that made them proud of their children’s and grandchildren’s college degrees. Now a $500,000 gift in the couple’s memory will open a world of opportunities for University of Mississippi students. Created…

(OXFORD, Miss.) – Michael Brady of Atlanta has assisted 18 University of Mississippi students through an ongoing business scholarship program he created in the late 1990s. Now he’s committed a testamentary gift of $136,000 to ensure his legacy continues. “At some point in your life, you’ve got to lock yourself into something that’s bigger than…

OXFORD, Miss. – From an early age Jerry Rudman let everyone know he would attend the University of Mississippi. When he died in March 2009, his family members knew they would create a scholarship to remember the enthusiastic alumnus and to help others pursue college degrees. “Jerry always loved Ole Miss,” said his mother, Iris…

OXFORD, Miss. – Val Cuthbert recently found himself posing the question: “How do you leave something behind to make the world better than you found it?” He and his wife, Beth, have answered that question by creating a family trust endowment to benefit the University of Mississippi. The majority of their new endowment, which carries…

OXFORD, Miss. – Longtime University of Mississippi staff member Karen Yelverton has joined the University Development team to seek private funds for the School of Business Administration. In her new role as a development officer, Yelverton will cultivate private gifts and strengthen relationships with alumni and friends to help ensure UM business students and faculty…

(OXFORD, Miss.) – The lives of two brothers who served in World War II, graduated from the University of Mississippi with business degrees and followed their father in the family business are being honored with a scholarship at their alma mater. Named for Raiford N. Long Sr. of Ripley and the late Erst Long Jr…

(OXFORD, Miss.) – Before Army 1st Lt. Andrew Higgins leaves Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas, tomorrow to begin a year-long deployment in Iraq, he let his feelings be known about the University of Mississippi. He planned a $20,000 bequest to benefit the Division of Students Affairs. “Education has always been very important to our…

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi students hoping to one day fight terrorism or organized crime will have a competitive edge in the job market, thanks to software gifts from two leading corporations in the intelligence software industry. Recent donations valued at more than $800,000 from Visual Analytics Inc. (VAI), headquartered in Frederick, Md., and…

(OXFORD, Miss.) – A new $200,000 fund at the University of Mississippi’s Center for the Study of Southern Culture is the result of one woman’s belief that faculty members must have resources to pursue a wealth of research and scholarship.   Philanthropist Leila Wynn of Greenville recently provided a $100,000 challenge grant that has been…

(OXFORD, Miss.) – A longtime hospital and community pharmacist, the late Edward Wilks of Tylertown, is being remembered with a scholarship fund in his name at the University of Mississippi.   “We think creating the Samuel Edward Wilks Pharmacy Endowment is a fitting way to honor Edward,” said Winnie Morris Wilks, his widow. “He felt…