The Donald Ashdown Endowed scholarship was established by former students, friends and colleagues of Donald Ashdown in 1982 in recognition of his long-term commitment to teaching entomology. The scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students interested in entomology, based on scholarship, leadership skills, and financial need.

Dr. Ashdown was born April 11, 1918, to Franklin D. and Alfretta B. Ashdown in Bountiful, Utah, where he spent his childhood. He served an LDS mission to East Germany, where he witnessed the uprising of the Nazi movement. He served as a naval officer in the Pacific during World War II.

He completed undergraduate work at Utah State University and graduate work at Cornell University. A Ph. D. in entomology, he was a beloved and nationally-recognized professor at Texas Tech University for 30 years. He was originally hired as the first professor of entomology at Texas Tech University. He worked with the Oklahoma State Agricultural Experiment Station on greenbug research for the USDA's Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine. During his time at Texas Tech University, he served as chairman of the Agricultural Research Committee and developed the research conducted and master's degrees offered significantly through the late 1950s. He also served as a consultant for vegetable growers, as he was one of two people at that time trained to provide that type of assistance.

He married to Theresa Hill Ashdown in 1941 and they had 7 children, 27 grandchildren, and 80 great-grandchildren. At retirement in 1984, he moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where he remained until he passed away in 2014. He was a faithful, life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a passionate advocate of higher education.

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Contact

Alex Yack
Alex.Yack@ttu.edu
Senior Director of Development
806.742.2802

Matt Williams
matt.williams@ttu.edu
Director of Development
806.742.2802

Shelbey Havens
shelbey.havens@ttu.edu
Assistant Director of Development
806.834.1108