Retired Educator and Former Athlete Makes $25,000 Gift to FSU
Fayetteville State University (FSU) alumni are in the giving spirit this holiday season. Another FSU graduate has made a $25,000 donation to the institution.
Last week, Ben and Dorothy Brown made a contribution in the same amount. The latest gift was given by James Boyd, a member of the Class of 1954 and a retired educator. The money will be used to establish the James and Wilma Boyd Endowed Scholarship.
“My wife is deceased and was the only child in her family and I am the only child in my family, and I wanted it to be known that I was here,” Boyd said. “My wife went to Fisk University and I am setting up a scholarship there in her name.”
Boyd, who currently resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, came to FSU on a basketball scholarship. He earned a degree in education. He also holds two master’s degrees and during his entire collegiate career, both undergraduate and graduate, he said he paid only $200 out of his own pocket to finance his education. He said that establishing this scholarship was not only a way of keeping his and his wife’s legacy alive, but it was also a way to acknowledge his fondness of FSU.
“I had pretty good experiences there,” Boyd said. “When I was there, we had only about 800 students and consequently, you knew everyone. We had only one dormitory for men and that was Hood Hall. It was a pretty good experience and everyone knew everyone there.”
FSU Chancellor James Anderson said he is grateful to alumni like Boyd who remember the positive experiences they had at the university. He said creating an atmosphere where students can thrive and flourish socially and academically is something for which the university continuously strives.
“I am so very pleased that Mr. Boyd enjoyed his time at FSU and I am thankful to him for the generous gift that will pay homage to him and his wife,” Anderson said. “It is great to know that caring and thoughtful alumni like him are investing in the future of this university by establishing scholarships that will enable students to receive the same quality education that he did when he was at this great institution.”
FSU is the second-oldest public institution in North Carolina. A member of the University of North Carolina System, FSU has nearly 6,000 students and offers degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
For more information, call (910) 672-1474.