COLUMBUS, Miss. -- A Mississippi University for Women alumna who never lost her love for her alma mater and her hometown is being remembered with a scholarship fund established at the university by her husband.
The Jana Brown Tyler Scholarship, established by David Tyler in memory of his wife, will give preference to students at North Pontotoc High School. It will provide four-year scholarships for 20 students, one per year over a period of 20 years, from North Pontotoc High School or, if no student qualifies, from Pontotoc County schools. The scholarship was his wife’s desire, Tyler said.
Jana Brown, who was born in Paducah, Ky., in 1949, moved with her family to Mississippi when she was 5 years old. She began the first grade at Pontotoc City Schools, moving to Ecru School in the fourth grade.
She met her future husband, David, in the seventh grade, and both subsequently graduated from Ecru High School in 1967. They were married in 1969 while Jana was still a student at The W. She earned her degree in 1970. They lived in Houston, Texas, and have one son, David, Jr., and one grandchild, Lizzy, who was Jana’s pride and joy. Jana passed away in October 2017.
“Her memories of the campus, the Goose, the dining hall where she worked and her W friendships brought her great joy,” Tyler said.
In establishing the scholarship, David recalls his wife’s kind and generous spirit and her love of her hometown and alma mater. “It was always her desire to give to the community and to the university,” he said.
Andrea Stevens, executive director of development and alumni, said the scholarship honors both the memory of an accomplished alumna and her commitment to furthering the education of others. “Through the generous establishment of the Jana Brown Tyler Scholarship, deserving young people from a school system that meant so much to both Mr. and Mrs. Tyler will be afforded an outstanding educational experience at the university that Mrs. Tyler also loved. Scholarships such as this one are so important to providing opportunities for our students, and we are very grateful.”
The W continues to offer one of the lowest tuitions in the Southeast region. The quality of the university’s academic programs has been nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report and Washington Monthly magazines.
Established in 1884, The W today attracts both female and male students from around the region and the world. Its colleges include the College of Arts, Sciences and Education; the College of Business and Professional Studies; and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
For more information about the Jana Brown Tyler Scholarship, please call the Office of Development and Alumni at (662) 329-7148.
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Oct. 11, 208