The Mississippi Chapter of the American Public Works Association established this scholarship fund in 2000. The fund will honor a full-time junior or senior at a public university in Mississippi studying to enter the field of public works. "Public works" is generally the municipal or county governmental agency or department which administers projects such as road building, storm water retention, lot clearing, street lighting, engineering review of construction site plans, and other related duties. Those entering this profession most often study engineering, and eligible majors include civil engineering, electrical engineering, public administration, environmental engineering, biology and chemistry. Applicants must have graduated from a high school in Mississippi.This award is based both on merit and need.

The Dennis Bomgaars Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in memory of the Iowa native who originally came to Mississippi to study at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson. After obtaining his Masters in Christian Education and Biblical Studies, he accepted the position as business manager of Mt. Salus Christian School in Clinton. With a special place in his heart for children, he mentored and trained young people for nearly 20 years through his work at the school and in his church. After he died of cancer in 2006, his family established the fund to provide an annual scholarship based on need to a student in or rising to grades 1 through 6 at Mt. Salus.

Jennifer Porter is the 2009 scholarship recipient.

Top

The John Robert Boswell Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in December 1999 by Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Boswell of Jackson in memory of their son John Robert Boswell, a National Merit Finalist and STAR Student at Jim Hill High School . A Carrier Scholar at Ole Miss, he was graduated in 1984 with a degree in chemical engineering and worked in the field until his death in 1993 of a brain tumor. The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding senior majoring in chemical engineering at Ole Miss. The recipient must be a full-time student and cannot belong to a social sorority or fraternity. This award is based both on merit and need.

Jim and Molly Clark of Madison wanted a way to pay tribute to the friendly nature of their son, Harrison Hull Clark, a trumpeter very active in the Madison Central High School Marching Band and Symphonic Band who died in 1998. Honoring his memory, his parents established this fund in late 1999 to benefit outstanding graduates of their son's school, Madison Central. Since then, the fund has grown with contributions from members of the Clark family, friends and faculty and fund raisers held by students at the school. Applicants must be seniors at Madison Central High School who have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and rank in at least the 60^th percentile on college entrance exams. Applicants must also plan to attend college as full-time students. These awards are based on merit only. Four Madison Central High School students are the 2009 recipients of the Harrison Clark Scholarship Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson.

The Aura Neely-Gary Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2007 in memory of Mrs. Gary by her family.  Mrs. Gary’s strong commitment to education and self-improvement was the impetus for her family’s desire to establish this scholarship.  The family wanted to honor her memory by providing a college scholarship to a person whose secondary school education may have been interrupted for various reasons or those who require assistance to continue their education.  The fund awards one scholarship annually in the amount of $2,000 based on merit and need to a male or female student planning to enter a college or university in Mississippi.  Preference will be given to students who desire to resume their education following a period of personal difficulties. Special consideration will be given for young women who had previously dropped out of school and are now enrolled at a post-secondary institution.

Named in honor of Anthony Gobar of Jackson, a long-time juvenile justice specialist, this fund will provide an annual scholarship based on both merit and need for a full-time junior or senior at a public university in Mississippi or at Southern University in Louisiana majoring in criminal justice, political science, or counseling. The student must have a stated career interest in juvenile justice or a similar field and have demonstrated a strong commitment to community and public service. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and have at least a current grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Demonstrated financial need must be provided via the student’s university or college financial aid office.

Sophia Briggs is the 2009 scholarship winner of the Anthony "Tony" Gobar Juvenile Justice Scholarship and a upper classman at Mississippi Valley State University. Sophia chose criminal justice as her major believing that most juvenile offenders are misunderstood and need help making better decisions. Sophia volunteers at a juvenile detention center as a tutor and has participated in a playground renovation.

The Charles E. “Chuck” Griffin, Jr. Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to honor the life of this talented young man whose life was cut short when a drag racer lost control of his vehicle and struck and killed Chuck as he stood in front of his best friend’s home.  The fund awards an annual scholarship to a graduating student at Jim Hill High School and to a graduating student at Hinds Community College who plans to continue his or her higher education at a four year institution.  The fund also awards an annual scholarship to a TougalooCollege graduate that has been accepted into the American Bar Association Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) program.

The 2009 scholarship was not awarded.

William W. Hunsberger, publisher of The Clarion-Ledger newspaper and a board member of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, died of a heart attack in 2004. In his honor, his family and friends established the Bill Hunsberger Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to students studying the programs at the universities attended by his three daughters. The award rotates annually among a journalism major at the University of Southern Mississippi, a journalism major at the University of Mississippi, and a political science major involved with student media at Mississippi State University. Applicants must be full-time, female students entering their junior or senior years of study.

Ryan Edward Kirkpatrick, a 17-year-old senior at Madison Central High School, was killed in a car accident in 2003. Ryan had won a national award for wildlife photography, was a filmmaker who had photographed plants and animals in the Amazon and was an amateur horticulturist who raised orchids and bromeliads. The Ryan Kirkpatrick Memorial Scholarship Fund, started by his parents, will provide scholarships to graduates of Madison Central High School. Applicants must have a strong interest in the natural sciences and submit an essay on the natural world. A 2.50 minimum GPA is required.

When Rankin County School District director of special projects Robert E. Luckett died in February 2002, his family looked for a way to honor him and his lifelong dedication to education and children. His wife, Jeanne, and their son, Robby, created the Robert E. Luckett Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor graduates of Richland High School, where Mr. Luckett served as principal for 19 years. Selected as statewide Principal of the Year in 1997, Mr. Luckett had also served as principal of St. Joseph High School and assistant principal at Jim Hill High School. Children were always important in the Luckett household, with the couple serving as foster parents for 17 children during their 35-year marriage, resulting in their receiving the Lookin' To The Future Award from Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth.

Patrick Terrell is the 2009 scholarship winner.

Named in honor of the longtime director of the Middle Mississippi Girl Scout Council, this scholarship fund was created in 2001 to assist girls involved in the local council with their post-secondary education, primarily at trade schools.

The 2009 scholarship was not awarded.