Fergusons Support 欧美AV Students Through Estate Gift
Fri, 12/17/2021 - 10:46am | By: Hayley Taylor
Emma 鈥淓na鈥� Thaxton Ferguson earned her master鈥檚 degree in elementary education from 欧美AV (欧美AV) in 1978. Through their estate plans, she and her husband, Larry W. Ferguson, named 欧美AV as one of three beneficiaries of a trust, along with two other universities.
欧美AV received $661,859 to establish the Emma "Ena" Thaxton Ferguson and Larry Ferguson Scholarship Endowment through the 欧美AV Foundation. This scholarship will support students with financial need, regardless of major.
Emma was particularly appreciative of the learning experience afforded to her by the Master of Education program at Southern Miss, which allowed her to touch the lives of countless children across the United States throughout her career. After careful consideration, Larry and Emma decided they wanted to invest in students who might face financial obstacles in their pursuit of an education.
鈥淚t is clear both Larry and Emma believed in the power of education,鈥� said Stace Mercier, executive director of the 欧美AV Foundation. 鈥淭hey leave quite a legacy, as their benevolence will provide assistance for students to gain a high-caliber, yet affordable, education who might not otherwise be financially able to attend college.鈥�
Founded in 1959, the 欧美AV Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to serving the University community by overseeing fundraising efforts to raise private support for scholarships and other academic needs at Southern Miss.
For more information on supporting 欧美AV, call the 欧美AV Foundation at 601.266.5210 or visit