Contact: Sammy McDavid
Students from Harrison, Hinds, Itawamba, and Madison counties are the first Wes Smythe Memorial Scholars at Mississippi State University.
Freshman engineering majors Brian D. Hardy of Madison, Betsy C. Mann of Fulton, Aubrey M. Sanders of Saucier, and Kenneth P. York of Jackson [1980 Aztec, 39211] are receiving $17,800 scholarships named for the MSU senior chemical engineering major from Batesville who died in 1993.
Smythe, a top 1990 South Panola High School graduate, was awarded a highly sought Swalm Engineering Scholarship to MSU. He also was accepted into the Cooperative Education Program, a selective course of study in which MSU students alternate semesters between campus classes and specialized work experience with cooperating employers. Smythe worked at the Westinghouse Savannah River Co., a South Carolina facility affiliated with the U.S. Energy Department that produces nuclear materials for national defense, medicine and space programs.
Of the first Smythe Scholars, Hardy is a Jackson Academy graduate majoring in computer engineering; Mann, an Itawamba Agricultural County High School graduate majoring in biological engineering; Sanders, a Harrison Central High School graduate, in chemical engineering; and York, a Jackson Preparatory School graduate, in mechanical engineering.
The awards are designated for entering freshman engineering majors who are semifinalists for National Merit or National Achievement scholarships and whose high school grade-point averages are 90 or better.
Administered by the Mississippi State University Foundation, Smythe Scholarships provide $4,450 annually for four years. A 3.0 grade-point average (based on a 4.0 scale) is required to maintain the awards.
Brian Hardy was a four-year member of the Jackson Academy Honors Program (95+ grade average), among numerous scholastic achievements. Included in Who's Who among American High School Students, he was a member of the National Honor Society and the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, among other organizations. He had a composite American College Test score of 33.*
Betsy Mann maintained a perfect 4.0 grade average and was the school's STAR Student at IAHS. Secretary/treasurer of the Student Council, she was included in Who's Who among American High School Students and the IAHS Academic Hall of Fame, among other honors. Her composite ACT score was 34.*
Aubrey Sanders was a four-time All-American Scholar at Harrison Central and four-year member of the Beta Club. Included in Who's Who among American High School Students, she received the National Foreign Language and National Student Leadership awards, among other honors. Her ACT composite score was 31.*
Kenneth York was a member of the National Honor and Jackson Prep's Cum Laude societies. He received two gold medals on the National Latin Examination and scored third highest in the state on the American High School Mathematics Examination, among other honors. His composite ACT score was 33.*
*The maximum ACT composite score is 36.