Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Mississippi State alumna and Delta native is being remembered by her family with an endowed scholarship.
The Helen W. Skelton Endowed Scholarship for full-time English majors recently was established in the university' s College of Arts and Sciences through an endowed gift from Skelton's husband Emery, the couple's three sons and their wives.
Like his wife, Emery Skelton is an MSU graduate. The Skelton siblings include Jeff and Sarah of Madison; David and Theresa of Winterville; and Jud and Shannon of Starkville.
Helen Skelton was a veteran Washington County high school and elementary librarian who died in September 2004 at age 61. A leading educational supporter and active member of the Greenville community, she was employed with the Greenville Public Schools and, later, the private Washington School, also in Greenville, where she was on its founding board of trustees.
Skelton was a graduate of Greenville High School and Mississippi University for Women. She began pursuing a master's at Mississippi State and taught English at the Starkville university in the 1960s, though circumstances kept her from completing her advanced degree there until some 20 years later.
In addition to being an avid gardener, Skelton held a number of local, regional and national leadership positions during her lifetime. The offices included treasurer and finance chairman of the Greenville Garden Club, president of the Greenville Junior Auxiliary, member of the Delta Council board of trustees, and treasurer of the MUW Alumni Association.
She also was vice chairperson of the Washington County Republican Executive Committee and an active member of the Washington County Republican Women.
Trish Hughes, director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences said, "The Skelton family regards this endowment as a fitting tribute for someone who was such a strong advocate for education throughout her lifetime."
Freshman Matthew G. Clark of Purvis is the first Helen Wilkerson Skelton Scholar in English at MSU. The son of Robert and Jacqueline Clark, he is receiving $1,000 for the 2005-06 school year.
MSU's arts and sciences college enrolls more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. English is among the academic unit's 16 departments.