New MacMurray (College) Foundation Awards Scholarships
June 23, 2021
MacMurray Foundation & Alumni Association, which was formed following the announced closure of MacMurray College in 2020 with a mission to maintain and continue the legacy of MacMurray College, is pleased to announce that 33 individuals have been named MacMurray Scholars and will each receive $1,000 towards their college education. In keeping with MacMurray College's commitment to academic excellence, Scholarships were based on academic performance.
In making the announcement, David Ekin, MacMurray Foundation Chair, stated that the goal of the Foundation in its first year was 15 scholarships. Ekin stated "Due to the generosity of MacMurray College Alumni, including those supporting a Named Scholarship, we were able to more than double what we had hoped. The fact that almost all recipients were former students of MacMurray when it closed makes this extra special."
Sandy Watson, Chair of the Scholarship Committee and a Board member, acknowledged that even with the awards the Foundation was not able to fulfill all requests and applications for scholarships. "Although pleased and proud we exceeded our first year dreams, since we had more applicants than we could award it also tells us the need exceeds what we were able to do. Hopefully next year we can exceed this number and continue to move the legacy of MacMurray College forward."
Five individuals will receive the Richard and Judith Dozier Hackman Scholarship, three the William Stanton Scholarship for Future Educators, two the Nancy Witthoeft Scholarship and one the Class of 1981 Scholarship. There was also an additional scholarship provided to a Jacksonville (IL) Promise Scholar. MacMurray College closed at the end of the 2020 academic year after 174 years as an institution of higher education.
The mission of MacMurray Foundation is to provide scholarships to individuals with an association to the college (former student, relative of alumni, staff, faculty or Board member) and wanting to pursue a career in an area the college was noted for. The Foundation also holds the MacMurray College Archives. Various memorabilia and artifacts will be part of and displayed in the MacMurray Wing of the new Jacksonville Area Museum. The Foundation will also work to keep alumni engaged with each other.
MacMurray Foundation & Alumni Association is an independent 501(c)3 charitable organization and not a successor organization to MacMurray College. For more information about MacMurray Foundation or their scholarship program please visit www.MacAlumFoundation.org.
Contact Information: David Ekin, 314-229-1773