Donors
‘Wise Because He Listened’
Long a leader of fundraising efforts at UAFS, Sam M. Sicard is remembered for his quiet wisdom.
It speaks volumes about the respect and affection Sam M. Sicard enjoyed on the UAFS Foundation board that in the wake of his death in August, other board members spontaneously set up the Samuel M. Sicard Scholarship Endowment in his memory and began giving. Read more...
Impressions of Generosity
Why a former basketball coach and his family decided to make a major gift in support of the new library addition
What young Ted Skokos lacked in size, he more than made up for in athleticism and ball-handling skills. In fact, the 5’7” guard was good enough to play his way into a basketball scholarship to Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. Read more...
‘A Great Friend of the Institution’
Just part of a life of philanthropy, William R. Walker’s service to UA Fort Smith shaped today’s Foundation
By the time he passed away in late November, William R. Walker had done so much for so many that the obituaries and memorials in the papers could only briefly summarize his philanthropy and volunteer service. Read more…
‘Nothing Got Frances Down’
Brenda Yelvington and Lavon Morton honor a friend’s memory with a unique scholarship
“She needed someone to honor what she had done for this community and for her students,” says Brenda Yelvington of her friend Frances Ralston, who taught accounting at Westark’s University Center and briefly at UA Fort Smith. “The university and those students were her life.” Read more...
A Tradition of Giving
Donnie D. Pendergraft's $5 million gift changed the lives of not only untold students but the entire University
Perhaps no other family name is more closely associated with UA Fort Smith than “Pendergraft,” and Donnie D. Pendergraft is a caring benefactor of that tradition. “We have been blessed, and I want to give back because of that,” says Pendergraft. Read more…
A Deepening Commitment
When Cooper Clinic CEO Doug Babb taught a course at UA Fort Smith, he saw his younger self in his students—and had to help.
At the first meeting of the senior-level leadership course he taught at UA Fort Smith last spring, Doug Babb asked for all the students who were in the first generation of their families to attend college to raise their hands. Read more…
A Well-deserved Honor
To show it's gratitude for a generous gift, the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta inducted Sherron Shuffield as an honorary member.
For Sherron Shuffield, who taught English at UA Fort Smith for 20 years, and her husband, Charles, giving to the University was an easy decision. The Sherron Shuffield Endowment will be funded with the residual of the couple’s charitable gift annuity. Read more...
