Our Donors
Recent Donors | Clyde and Alma Hollingsworth | Abe Zale
Recent Donors
Jim Bob Ivey
Donna Brooks
Dr. Brent Magness
Dewayne and Lana Gragg
Wayne and Sallie Autrey
Mary Love Sanders
Doyce Eves
Jan Edgar Moore
H. C. Oswalt
Don Mershawn
Betty Benfield
David and Norma McMullan
Orville and Bonnie Elliott
Leslie and Amy Patterson
Jimmy Hooser
Beverly Frost White
Dr. Kenneth Walker
Ted and Monica Zapletal
Neila Skinner Petrick
Van and Mary Elkins Estate
Col. Bob Frisby
Clyde and Alma Hollingsworth Memorial Scholarship
As a way to honor the memory of his late parents, Clyde and Alma Hollingsworth (pictured), Dr. J. Selwyn Hollingsworth has established a scholarship in their honor through the Navarro College Foundation. According to Hollingsworth, they had limited formal education themselves, but they encouraged him in his academic pursuits. Clyde Hollingsworth was a tenant farmer, raising cotton in the Dresden/Barry/Cryer Creek area, while Alma Hollingsworth worked at the Haggar slack factory in Corsicana.
After finishing high school at Barry in the last graduating class at that school, Selwyn Hollingsworth enrolled at Navarro Junior College. He was active in several campus organizations, worked in the library for 20 cents an hour, and on weekends was a bag boy at a local grocery store. After two years at Navarro, Hollingsworth transferred to Texas A&M where he completed a bachelors and a masters degree.
After earning a PhD from the University of Florida, Hollingsworth joined the faculty at the University of Alabama. He recently retired after a 30-year career at that institution and has returned to Blooming Grove, living near the farm where he grew up.
The scholarship accomplishes several objectives, according to Hollingsworth. First, it honors the memory of his parents. “They were good, hard-working people who provided a good Christian home for me and my two brothers,” Hollingsworth commented, “and I want them to be remembered.” Second, the scholarship is somewhat of a “payback.” As the recipient of a local scholarship while he was at Navarro, Hollingsworth understands how important such awards can be to financially struggling students. He also received scholarships while attending Texas A&M. Through this scholarship, he can repay those who helped him achieve his academic goals.
In addition, the scholarship is an expression of appreciation to Navarro College. Hollingsworth commented, “If Navarro Junior College had not been here, I’m not sure what direction my life would have taken.” He could not have afforded to “go off to college,” but the opportunity to live at home and work to earn money for his school expenses enabled him to complete his first two years of higher education. The solid academic foundation he received at Navarro also contributed to his later success as he continued his studies. The Navarro College Foundation is grateful to Dr. Selwyn Hollingsworth for his generous gift and is pleased to honor the memory of his parents Clyde and Alma Hollingsworth with this scholarship.
The recipient of the Hollingsworth Scholarship is Krista Paradoski from Wortham.
Abe Zale Foundation Gives Generously to Navarro College
The Navarro College Foundation recently received a grant of $10,000 from the Abe Zale Foundation to assist non-traditional students enrolled in the Navarro College/Texas A&M-Commerce Teacher Certification program.
Dr. Tommy Stringer, Navarro College Foundation Director, recalled an incident in which a student in that program was struggling financially. She had some financial aid but not enough to meet her expenses of tuition, fees, textbooks, childcare, and transportation. Because of her school demands, she had to reduce her work hours, putting a strain on her family accustomed to two incomes. Within a few days, a second student with a similar story came by. At that point, Stringer contacted the Zale Family Foundation with a request for funds to assist these students. They saw the proposal as a legitimate need and provided the Navarro College Foundation with a grant from the Abe Zale Foundation Fund.
Most of the money has gone toward the purchase textbooks for the students, which has become a major educational expense. Some of the recipients are early in the program, while others are near graduation and ready to move into the teaching profession within the coming year. Several are currently working as teachers aids and are near completion of their requirements for full certification. Approximately 25 students have received funding from the Zale grant.
According to one recipient, the Zale Scholarship was a godsend. She commented, “I’m not sure how I would have paid for school had I not received this grant. I was thinking I would have to lay out for a semester and work to earn money to continue, or the other option would be to take out a sizable loan.” The Zale grant relieved some of the financial burdens, enabling her to continue her studies without interruption.
“We are certainly grateful to the Abe Zale Foundation for their generosity in providing this scholarship,” according to Stringer. “It has been rewarding to see the relieved looks on students’ faces when they learn they are receiving this help.” The grant not only helps the individual students with financial assistance but also puts more trained teachers into the workforce in a more timely manner, helping to alleviate the teacher shortage problem.