The scholarship was established by Wayne Reaud and the Reaud Charitable Foundation to honor W. Frank Newton, the longest-serving dean at Texas Tech Law and former State Bar of Texas president. 

During his tenure as dean, he made significant strides in increasing diversity and securing funding, resulting in a substantial increase in scholarship support. He was committed to ensuring access to justice for low-income Texans and was crucial in implementing the Pro Bono Policy for the State Bar of Texas. He also founded the Bar's Pro Bono College and chaired the Bar's Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee for nine years. After retiring from the Law School, he became the founding president and CEO of the Beaumont Foundation, which supports underprivileged individuals and populations with technology. 

This scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding law students at Texas Tech University.

Established 2004