Contact: Maridith Geuder
The family of the late Dr. Alexander Lane "Bam" Williams of Columbus is establishing a scholarship endowment at Mississippi State in his memory.
A $25,000 gift from Edwina Williams and daughters Lane and Lee will assist the university's efforts to educate future veterinarians, said Dr. John Thomson, College of Veterinary Medicine dean.
Lane Williams Hoggard is a resident of Moss Point; Lee, of Washington, D.C.
"Mrs. Williams and her family clearly have an understanding of the many ways a veterinarian benefits society," Thomson said.
Known as "Mother Goose" by Columbus and Golden Triangle children for the storybook character she often portrays, Edwina Williams recalled that without financial assistance, her late husband would have had difficulty attending Mississippi State.
"Without that help, a college education would have been a tremendous struggle for him," she said. "He appreciated lifelong learning and would have been as pleased with this scholarship as we are."
Dr. Williams opened the Williams Animal Clinic in Columbus in 1959, and operated it until relocating to St. Petersburg, Fla., where he worked for 10 years. Following retirement in 1974, the S.D. Lee High School graduate returned to Lowndes County, where he was active in land and timber enterprises. He was president of the Lowndes County Veterinary Association and a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Dr. Williams attended MSU before transferring to Auburn University to earn a veterinary medical degree. Mississippi did not have its own veterinary college until the Legislature established MSU's in 1974.
Dean Thomson said the first Williams Scholarship probably would be awarded in 2003.
For more information, telephone Amy Cagle of the MSU Foundation at (662) 325-1006.