The Northeast Texas Community College Foundation recently received a $100,000 gift to establish the Charlie and Abbie Brown Memorial Scholarship. The endowment will provide scholarships for Mount Vernon High School graduates attending NTCC and majoring in agriculture.
?We are honored to be entrusted with this endowment. It will make a significant difference in the lives of NTCC students for many years to come,? Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Vice President for Advancement, said.
Abbie Brown, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 90, directed that her estate be used to create a scholarship fund to benefit students who graduated from Mount Vernon High School. The scholarship was managed in Franklin county since then and was recently passed on to the NTCC Foundation for administration.
?This is an excellent example of how an individual can plan their estate in a way that continues to help people for generations to come,? McCullough said. ?Endowed scholarships use a fund?s investment earnings to pay for scholarships in perpetuity.?
Abbie Brown was active at First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon and many civic organizations. She opened The Lady?s Shop in 1940 and operated the ladies? clothing and accessories store until 1973, when it closed after it was damaged from a fire in a neighboring building. Her husband, Charlie, was a long-time Agriculture Extension Agent in Franklin County. He began his career as a teacher and then joined the Texas A&M Extension Service as a County Adjustment Assistant in 1935. He retired in 1974 and passed away in 1987.
Charlie was passionate about agriculture, which makes it fitting that the fund bearing his name would help cultivate future ag workers. A 1974 article in the Mount Vernon Optic Herald announcing his retirement noted one of Charlie?s favorite sayings:
?May well-informed stewards recognize the basic values of good land and inhabit it.?
This philosophy aligns well with the current vision of the NTCC Agriculture program, which focuses on sustainability and being good stewards of the land in this region.
?In many ways we are going back to our roots when it comes to agriculture. Many of the practices Mr. Brown would have encouraged back in 1937 when he began as an extension agent are still very relevant today,? Rene? McCracken, NTCC Director of Agriculture, said.
To learn more about the Charlie and Abbie Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund, or to find out how you can use estate planning to establish an endowed scholarship, please contact McCullough at 903-434-8115.
