The Elizabeth Brevard Council Scholarship
How does a family honor a mom and wife for all the love,
attention and care she has given over the years? The Brevards
of Tupelo, Miss., thought an excellent idea was through an Ole Miss Women's
Council for Philanthropy Scholarship.
With their $100,000 gift to The
University of Mississippi (UM), the family recently created the Elizabeth
B. Brevard Council Scholarship. In addition to Elizabeth "Beth"
Brevard's name now being forever linked to the university where her
husband, Henry Brevard, and son, David Brevard, are alumni, a plaque
embossed with her name is to be placed alongside a rosebush planted in a
garden adjoining the new Paris-Yates Chapel on the Oxford
campus.
David Brevard, who is past president of
the Alumni Association and a member of the Commitment to Excellence
Campaign steering committee, said when he and his father first discussed
the women's council scholarship program with Dr. Gloria Kellum,
UM vice chancellor for University Relations, they immediately thought of
his mother.
"The scholarship program gave my
father, sister, (Elise Smith of Ridgeland, Miss.)
and me the opportunity to do two things. First, the chance to support our
university and provide additional scholarships," he said. "And at
the same time, have the opportunity to honor someone, who in my book, is the greatest mother in the world."
The Brevards
chose a women's council scholarship because they liked the idea that
students receive leadership training and are assigned mentors from the Ole
Miss community.
"I think the scholarship is
appropriate and is a wonderful adjunct for what is already being done on
campus," Henry Brevard said. "It adds a whole new dimension, a
new perspective. I predict it will bear considerable fruit in the
future."
"Bearing considerable fruit"
is exactly what the council intended when it was formed last year. The
group of 25 women with Ole Miss connections,
promotes philanthropy and sponsors programs to develop outstanding
leadership qualities in students. A supporting organization of The
University of Mississippi Foundation, the council will award six students
scholarships of $5,000 each per year beginning fall 2001.
Each council scholar then is assigned a
mentor from the Ole Miss community to guide the student in developing a
career path and networking with alumni and other professionals. Each
recipient also participates in seminars developed through the university's
Lott Leadership Institute, meets monthly for small-group discussions and,
upon graduation, is expected to pledge for the next five years a modest
amount of financial support to the women's council endowment to reseed the
program.
For Beth Brevard, having a scholarship
named in her honor was quite a surprise. "It made me feel very humble,
and I questioned whether I was deserving,"
she said. "On the other hand, I was really delighted they wished to do
so."
Beth Brevard may not have attended Ole
Miss, but that doesn't mean she isn't one of its biggest fans. A native of Shannon, Miss.,
and the daughter of an UM alumnus, she hoped to attend Ole Miss but
selected Mississippi University for Women instead.
"I planned to stay one year and
transfer to Ole Miss, but World War II came along, and I just stayed for
four years," she said.
She met Henry Brevard when he was a
sophomore at Ole Miss. The two married in 1946. Throughout the years, Beth
Brevard has been deeply involved in her community. She taught Sunday school
for 26 years, served as president of the Junior Auxiliary, and for the last
19 years, has volunteered in a hospital emergency room. She also became an
ardent UM fan, attending countless football and basketball games, helping
Henry Brevard with his volunteer work for the university and even being
officially adopted into the Ole Miss family by the late Chancellor Porter
L. Fortune Jr.
"I have always loved Ole
Miss," she said. "My heart has always been there." David
Brevard, who graduated in 1978 with a bachelor's degree, is president of
B&B Concrete Company, a family business headquartered in Tupelo.
Brevard said he was excited to present his mom with the scholarship.
"My sister is not an Ole Miss
graduate, but when we started to talk about the scholarship, she
immediately came on board," he said. "I think there is a
satisfaction that there is something the three of us can do together to
honor Momma."
Like his son, Henry Brevard, founder of
B&B Concrete and an engineering graduate, also has continued his
affiliation with Ole Miss, serving as chair of the University Foundation
Board and the Engineering Advisory Board. He, too, is pleased with the
scholarship.
"Beth has tremendous loyalty to
the family and is always willing to be present for us," he said.
"There is inspiration from her standing next to us whatever our
endeavors. We are grateful for that."
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