Texas Tech's Department of Agricultural Education and Communications will carry on a departmental legend for years to come. An endowed scholarship to honor Mary Lou Flom, administrative business assistant for the department, has been established in her name. The scholarships will go to undergraduate students in the department.

The 'Mary Lou Flom Endowed Scholarship' was created in February by former students to show their appreciation for all the hard work and dedication Flom has invested in the department over the decades. June Humble Bell, a former graduate assistant in the department and her niece, Jenna DavidsonHightower also a graduate of the department, assisted in the development of the endowment with the financial support coming from an anonymous donor.

The scholarship allows former students to give back to the university, as well as thank and honor Flom for the help they received as students, said Steven Fraze, department chairman. "Anytime I visit with alumni they always ask how Mary Lou is doing," he said. "Her influence on students lasts a lifetime."

Flom began working for Texas Tech in 1972, and joined the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications staff six years later. "I got to know so many of them very well and considered them like my own children when they were students," Flom said. "I still keep in touch with many of them, even though they've graduated."

Flom said she's thankful that the scholarship will assist students in continuing their education, and hopes the scholarship will grow. "It's an honor to be recognized this way," she said. "I was very humbled that somebody would do this for me and the students."

According to university officials in the college, 4.5 percent of the endowment will be awarded each year. Beginning this fall, nine undergraduate students will receive the scholarship. The department hopes to increase the endowment in the coming years to award scholarships to more students each year.

Written by Elizabeth Bertrand

CONTACT: Steven Fraze, Chair, Department of Agricultural Education and Communications, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2816 or steven.fraze@ttu.edu

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Editor's Note: If you'd like to contribute to the 'Mary Lou Flom Endowed Scholarship,' or any of the other departmental scholarships, contact StevenFraze in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications.