Texas Tech University

W. C. “Brigham” Young Scholarship Fund

W.C. "Brigham" Young

The W. C. Brigham Young Scholarship was established by the National Farm Life Insurance Company in 1978. The scholarship is awarded to entering freshmen and transfer students to the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources based on high school records, SAT or ACT scores and need.

Mr. William Clarence "Brigham" Young graduated from Texas Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics in 1935, and a BBA in General Business in 1945. He was on the Red Raider football team, lettering in 1931, '32 and '33.

W. C. Young, founder of National Farm Life, was duped early in life by false advertising, and from then on pledged himself to a higher ethical standard. During the Depression, he took every odd job he could find to put himself through college, and then secured a teaching position. Within two years he was successfully selling life insurance exclusively to teachers through Educator's Mutual Insurance. When that company reorganized and absorbed their profits instead of returning them to the teachers in dividends as promised, Mr. Young decided there ought to be a better way to structure an insurance company to protect the policyholders.

After his tour of duty in World War II, during which time he sold war bonds, Mr. Young met with the Texas State Board of Insurance and presented his unique and sound ideas for the fledgling insurance company. On March 12, 1946, at the end of a six-month journey around the state raising funds to start his business, the charter was granted.

HeritageNational Farm Life opened its doors in the North Fort Worth Bank Building in the celebrated Stockyards. Then after two successful decades of commerce, the company purchased a 20-acre tract of land and built a new office. With his wife and son by his side, amidst great celebration, Mr. Young moved his company into its current location on April 1, 1968.

Mr. Young's unprecedented stipulation of limiting the company's stockholders to a 10% return on the original price of their stock is the backbone of the National Farm Life story. Policyholders receive their share of the company's profits through dividends on their whole life policies.

To support this scholarship, please visit the Young Scholarship Fund gift page.

Contact

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

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

Tanner Rex
tanner.rex@ttu.edu
Assistant Director of Development
806.742.2802