Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Scholarship Established For Humphry

When 23-year-old Henry Humphry of Delight was tragically killed in an automobile accident on March 15, 1997, his family decided the best way to honor his memory was to establish an endowed scholarship in his name at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM).

Humphry was a senior forestry and wildlife major at UAM at the time of his death and was scheduled to graduate last May.

The Humphry family's initial gift of $1,000 to the UAM Foundation Fund was the seed for what they hoped would become an annual scholarship presented to students in UAM's School of Forest Resources.

Now, thanks to the generosity of donors who have never met the Humphrys, but who were touched by the family's loss, that initial $1,000 gift has grown to $16,550. Mr. and Mrs. William Clark of Little Rock contributed $10,000 to the fund; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Green Jr. of Warren contributed $1,850; Mr. Carroll Wall of Little Rock donated $1,050; and additional gifts of $1,000 each were received from Mr. and Mrs. Sam Denison of Monticello and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Williams of Dumas.

Other donors included Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Owen of Monticello, Dr. and Mrs. Jesse Coker of Monticello and Betty Hinds of Merritt Island, Fla.

"This is one of the most rewarding and satisfying fund-raising campaigns I've ever been involved with," said Dr. Peggy Doss, director of alumni and development of UAM. "Out of this family's personal tragedy we've seen wonderful examples of generosity and caring from total strangers who wanted to help the Humphrys honor the memory of their son.

"On behalf of the University, I want to express my thanks to everyone who contributed to this endowment, and particularly to the Humphry family," Dr. Doss continued. "This is a wonderful way to honor the memory of a fine young man who had so much promise."

Humphry was the son of Winston and Katie Humphry. He was a 1992 honor graduate of Delight High School.

While attending UAM, he was parliamentarian of the Forestry Club, executive officer of the Wildlife Society, a senator and later president of the Student Government Association. He was also a member of the student chapter of the Society of American Foresters (SAF).

During the spring of 1997, the SAF adopted two rooms at the Oasis Homeless Shelter in Warren. The rooms were painted and decorated by SAF members. After Humphry's death, one of the rooms was dedicated and renamed in Humphry's memory.

Persons interested in contributing to the Henry B. Humphry Memorial Scholarship in Forestry should contact Doss at 1-800-467-8148.