The Hinds Community College Foundation recognized its 2014-2015 scholarship recipients, donors and honorees at a scholarship reception Oct. 3. Among those recognized was recipient David Wilson of Florence, center, who received the Dr. Ben and Beverly Fatherree Scholarship. With him are Dr. Ben Fatherree, left, and Beverly Fatherree, both of Clinton. The Hinds Community College Foundation awarded more than 600 scholarships in the 2014-2015 academic year.
Dr. Ben H. and Beverly Derden Fatherree of Clinton have a long and rewarding relationship with Hinds Community College.
Both already had family scholarships established. Ben Fatherree’s family currently sponsors the T.B. and A.P. Fatherree Scholarship, and Beverly Fatherree’s family sponsors the Bill Derden Memorial Scholarship.
Because of their commitment to Hinds Community College, they want to continue that tradition with the Dr. Ben H. and Beverly D. Fatherree Endowed Scholarship.
“I want to give something back. And I see the possibility to help a student achieve their goals,” Ben Fatherree said. “I really love Hinds. I want it to be the best in everything it does. If I can contribute a small amount to that mission then I’m very happy and proud to do so.”
Beverly Fatherree has taught at Hinds for more than 30 years and is currently the District Curriculum Coordinator for the English and Modern Foreign Language departments and the academic liaison for Dual Enrollment classes.
“Providing a scholarship is a way for us to give back to Hinds and to show our faith in and commitment to the work that our students, our colleagues and our administrators do every single day,” she said.
Beverly Fatherree’s brother and sister also attended Hinds, as did her mother, as a nontraditional student.
In addition, her sister taught math at Hinds for 26 years, and her mother taught English at the Vicksburg-Warren Campus as a full-time/part-time instructor for 17 years.
“I have an additional connection to the school that served as the foundation for the rest of my college education,” she said.
Ben Fatherree, who holds a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate, all in history, from Mississippi State University, has worked at Hinds since 1970 when he was 23, eight years before Hinds President Dr. Clyde Muse became president.
Fatherree said it was never his intention to work at Hinds his entire career. “I’ve spent essentially my whole adult life at Hinds. So I must like it,” he said. “I can’t imagine life without my colleagues at Hinds.”
In 2001 he retired as chair of the Department of History, Political Science, Philosophy and Religion on the Raymond Campus. Since his retirement, he has continued to teach as an adjunct instructor and work as Hinds’ Institutional Historian, writing a full-length history of the college.
Unlike her husband, Beverly Fatherree determined early that she wanted to teach at Hinds — permanently.
“When (former Vice President) Dr. Mike Rabalais asked me as part of my interview where I wanted to be in five years, I answered immediately ‘right here.’ And I’ve never regretted that answer.”
Criteria for the Dr. Ben H. and Beverly D. Fatherree Endowed Scholarship include the following preferences:
• A nontraditional Hinds Community College student enrolled in classes on the Raymond Campus
• A student majoring in history or English
• A student considering teaching as a career, especially at the community college level.
Hinds Community College Foundation Scholarships are awarded on the basis of a student’s desire for achievement, involvement in extracurricular activities, financial need, grades and letters of recommendation.
Endowed scholarships may be established with a minimum gift of $15,000 donated to the Hinds Community College Foundation. The gift will constitute the initial principal for the endowment. The principal will be maintained and only the income earned will be awarded in the form of scholarships.
Non-endowed scholarships may be established with a minimum gift of $500. All gifts of cash and/or stocks are fully tax deductible.
For more information about establishing a scholarship at Hinds Community College, contact Betty Carraway, 601.857.3800, ecarraway@hindscc.edu.
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As Mississippi’s largest community college, Hinds Community College is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with more than 170 academic, career and technical programs. With six locations in central Mississippi, Hinds enrolled nearly 12,000 credit students in fall 2014. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.