Dr. Ronald L. Carter (Photo by Calvin Ferguson)

June 30, 2008 - More scholarship opportunities exist for students at Johnson C. Smith University thanks to the generosity of alumni donors.

• Dr. Mary Wallace Reid of Pennsylvania, a 1945 graduate of JCSU, established an endowed scholarship in honor of her parents, Isaac and Mamie Wallace. Female graduates of Charlotte-Mecklenburg or Charlotte area high schools with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 are eligible for the Isaac & Mamie Wallace Endowed Scholarship.

• The Dr. Thomas Wright Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund is designed for a JCSU student with a 3.0 GPA who is majoring in one of the sciences, with preference given to a student athlete. A dentist in Richmond, Va., Wright graduated from JCSU in 1962.

• Former NFL player Pettis Norman honored one of the most influential people in his life, JCSU football coach Eddie C. McGirt, by contributing $50,000 to a previously established endowed scholarship. The Eddie C. McGirt Endowed Scholarship is awarded to a sophomore, junior, or student athlete with at least a 3.0 GPA. McGirt graduated from JCSU in 1947, returning in 1958 where he eventually became the head football coach at JCSU. For 20 years, his teams ranked at the top of the CIAA standings, winning 118 of 191 games. Norman, who played for the Dallas Cowboys and then for the San Diego Chargers, was the second of McGirt's JCSU players to play professionally.

Endowed scholarships provide a permanent source of financial aid. You, too, can make a difference in the life of a JCSU student. A minimum contribution of $25,000, payable within a five-year period, will create an endowed scholarship. We invite you to learn more by contacting Karen Lawler at 704-330-1418 or by email at klawler@jcsu.edu.