2022MayWarriorWEB

L aura T horne M emorial S cholarship E stablished at EC

Family and friends of the late Laura Reeves Thorne have estab- lished a scholarship at East Central Community College in her memory. The Laura Reeves Thorne Memo- rial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a resident of Newton County who has a 3.0 grade-point average in high school, is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (two-year minimum), is willing to serve as an FCA intern while a student at East Central, and has a letter of recommendation from FCA leadership or home church pastor.

THORNE

Thorne was a native of Newton County where she grew up on a dairy farm. She was a 1981 graduate of Decatur High School where she was a cheerleader and played basketball. She graduated from East Central in 1983 with an Associate of Applied Science degree and in 1989 with an Associate of Arts degree. She also received her Bachelor of Public Account- ing degree in 1990 from Mississippi State University. Thorne was an accountant in the ECCC Business Office for more than 34 years until her death in 2019. She was an active member of Clarke-Venable Baptist Church for 30 years where she helped with the nursery and youth activities. She enjoyed traveling, spending time with her family, and being outdoors. She will be remembered as a loving person who was willing to help others. Those wishing to contribute to the scholarship may do so online at www.eccc.edu/support-through-scholarships or by contacting Dr. Stacey Hollingsworth, executive director of the ECCC Foundation, at sholling@eccc.edu or 601-635-6327. Annual and endowed scholarships are funded by individual and/or group donations and are made available to eligible students according to each scholarship’s criteria. Annual scholarships can be funded on a semester or yearly basis and no minimum contribution is required. However, annual scholarships are usually funded to cover tuition which is currently $1,430 per semester. The endowment of a scholarship requires a minimum investment of $20,000. An endowment may be established with a minimum initial investment of $2,000 with agreement to complete the total $20,000 investment in three years or less. If you are interested in contributing to or establishing a scholarship at East Central, please con-tact the Foundation office at 601-635-6327 or e-mail at sholling@eccc.edu. For a complete listing of partially endowed scholarships to which you can donate, please visit www.eccc.edu/support- through-scholarships. S upport ECCC T hrough S cholarship D onations

LAURA GOODIN ROWELL

The 1937 yearbook pictured above is among one of the oldest copies of the Wo-He-Lo in existence and was the first yearbook published by the college. It belonged to the late Laura Goodin Rowell of Wiggins, who attended East Central from 1935 to 1937 and was originally from Winston County. Ms. Rowell was on the original yearbook staff sponsored by Mrs. W.W. Newsome and is credited with giving the book its name, Wo-He-Lo , which stands for Work-Heart-Love. She was a graduate of ECJC and the University of Southern Mississippi. She began her teaching career in Winston County and then taught elementary school for 35 years in the Stone County School District. The book was donated to the Alumni Association by her children and will be housed in the college’s Memorabilia Room in Burton Library, along with 1942 and 1947 yearbooks that belonged to Rowell’s brother, Ed, who attended East Central both before and after World War II. S pecial Y earbook D onated to M emorabilia R oom

ALUMNI NEWS

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