Browns give scholarships recipients clean slate
Fred and MariAnna Brown of Roswell, Georgia, have always believed that hard work and education are the pathways to success and financial burdens should not be barriers to a student's pursuit of their goals. The Browns earned degrees from Mississippi State University with the assistance of student loans but hope, through their planned giving, to help make education more accessible by alleviating debt for future students.
Their personal passions are the foundation of their philanthropy. A portion of the couple's planned gift emphasizes veterans' education. The Col. Fred N. Brown Jr. Endowed Scholarship will honor students pursuing undergraduate degrees in the College of Business. Recipients must be veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with a minimum 3.0 GPA, among other criteria.
An ROTC student at Mississippi State, Fred Brown earned a bachelor's degree in
Agriculture in 1967 and a master's degree in plant pathology in 1969. He later earned another master's degree in systems management at the University of Southern California. Originally from Ethel, Fred spent 30 years in the U.S. Air Force with various national and international assignments before retiring in 1999 with the rank of colonel.
The MariAnna and Fred Brown Endowed Scholarship in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will benefit students who follow in Fred Brown's academic footsteps by studying in the Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology. Recipients must have a 3.0 GPA, demonstrate financial need, and meet established criteria.
"Education is important to the quality of life for everyone, and we want students who hold our scholarships to work hard and be rewarded with a clean slate after graduation, free from the financial burdens of education," Fred Brown said.
The couple's gift also establishes the Mary and Wendell Ladner Endowed Scholarship in the College of Education in honor of MariAnna Brown's parents. MariAnna Brown earned an MSU education degree in 1968 and taught for nearly a decade in public schools before focusing her career on teaching English as a second language. Her parents, the Ladners, were strong proponents of education despite not having the opportunities for four-year degrees. She hopes to honor her parents by paving the way for students in need.
"Scholarships truly make a positive impact and give people a better life. A student can either be hindered by personal hardships or use hardships as motivation to achieve success. We want to encourage future recipients to meet challenges and succeed along their paths toward future careers with our scholarships as incentives," MariAnna Brown said.
The scholarship will benefit entering students majoring in teacher education with at least a 3.0 GPA who demonstrate financial need and meet other established criteria.
For the Browns, Mississippi State will always be intertwined with their lives. They hope the same will hold true for each of their scholarship recipients as they graduate and embark on their chosen careers.
