Endowment Foundation of Greene County
An Affiliate of the Arkansas Community Foundation

Evangeline and J.C. Cothren Endowment Having three generations in this tiny family was dream enough come true. The Cothrens, when in their 40’s, finally had their only child, a son, Jackson. He married Angela Coy and they had a baby girl, Ellie; becoming grandparents in their 70’s was another dream that came to pass for Evangeline and J.C. Now, the five-member clan has begun an endowment, and the Cothrens are teaching and practicing philanthropy, which will continue on through the generations that they had no idea would even exist. Jack, Angela and Ellie Cothren To join this and other families in philanthropy, contact the Endowment Foundation of Greene County office at 114 West Main Street, or call 236-7718.                                            Individuals, families, and corporations can establish charitable funds with us to support the causes they care about.  Below find donor stories that we would like to share with you in addition to a list of the growing number of funds that have been established. Endowments and Funds: Agape House Endowment Evelyn Alexander First Presbyterian Church Scholarship Endowment Greene County Retired Teachers Scholarship Endowment J.D. Allen Family Endowment Greene County Tech Alumni Endowed Scholarship Arkansas Methodist Hospital Foundation Endowment Harmon Field Memorial Alumni Endowment BEES Senior Citizens Endowment Iva Hicks Scholarship Endowment Bill and Katherine Block Endowment M. F. and Constance Block Memorial Scholarship Endowment Jones S. Horne Memorial Scholarship Endowment Robert B. Branch, Sr. Endowment Robert W. and Drucilla Lam Inman Scholarship Endowment Evangeline and J.C. Cothren Endowment Marlin D. Jackson Scholarship Endowment Emma Jean Layl Endowment Lifehouse Ministries Endowment Laura and Vance Cupp Family Memorial Scholarship Endowment Light Fontaine School and Community Endoment Lloyd W. Dove Scholarship Endowment S. S. Lipscomb Arkansas Methodist Hospital Endowment EFGC Board Endowment   S. S. Lipscomb Library Endowment First United Methodist Church of Paragould Endowment Marmaduke Alumni Endowment Bill Fisher Scholarship Endowment Dr. Richard Martin Memorial Scholarship Endowment Mission Outreach of Northeast Arkansas, Inc. Endowment B. C. Page and Annetta Page Endowment Fisher Memorial Scholarship Endowment Paragould High School Class of 1943 Memorial Scholarship Endowment FUMC of Paragould Ordained Ministry Support Endowment Paragould High School Class of 1955 Memorial Scholarship Endowment Greene and Clay Counties Medical Society and Auxiliary Scholarship Endowment   Edward Jones Financial Advisors of Paragould Endowment Paragould Doctors' Clinic Endowment   Endowment Foundation of Greene County Grantmakers Endowment Paragould High School Classes 1957 to 1962 Joe Wessell Scholarship Endowment Endowment Foundation of Greene County Operating Endowment Paragould Rotary Club Scholarship Endowment Darin B. Russell Memorial Scholarship Endowment Endowment Foundation of Greene County Youth Endowment Shiloh United Methodist Church of Paragould Endowment Greene County 21st Century Women's Charitable Endowment Greene County Retired Teachers Scholarship Endowment   Robert F. and Charlotte Barkley Thompson Endowment Greene County Scholarship Fund R. L. Wells Family Endowment Fred and Oleatha Wulfekuhler Scholarship Endowment M. A. "Mack" West Scholarship Endowment Greene County Scholarship Endowment Sarah Lady Whitten Scholarship Endowment Greene County Bar Association Scholarship Endowment Alice Mae Wheeler Scholarship Endowment Charles Welch Memorial Scholarship Endowment Shaela Williams / Nettie Huffman Memorial Scholarship Endowment Greene County Rescue Squad  Endowment   Other Articles: Lloyd W. Dove Memorial Scholarship Endowment 21st Century Women's Charitable Endowment 80 for 80 for 80 Harmon Field Greene Co. Tech Alumni Founder's Circle May 17, 2005 Dear Ms. Kathy, A donation has been made in your honor through the Endowment Foundation of Greene County and has been placed in the Endowment Foundation of Greene County Youth Endowment, a permanent fund that will effect and positively change youth now and in the years to come. Youth that comprise the Youth Advisory Council, of which Crowley’s Ridge Academy currently has four, give grants to non-profit organizations that deal with youth issues. Those grants come from the money placed into this endowment. In your honor, one dollar has been given for every student in your 2004-2005 kindergarten class, just a little bit for these little individuals. The reason it has been placed into this particular endowment is because the endowment is permanent. The donation will grow as the years go by and will touch many people throughout its existence, starting with this seed. And even though it is just a little bit, it is a little bit forever. It is the same way in which you are making a permanent and positive change in our children, the seeds that you have planted in them in this precious, formative year, will grow and grow, and these children that you have touched, will in turn, touch and inspire many people throughout their lives. It all begins with a seed. It is with great appreciation and affection that I submit this donation. Thank you for the immeasurable difference you have made in Hannah and for giving her the best possible experience for her first school year. You are a blessing. Sincerely, Karole A. Risker Executive Director Hannah’s mom                                      Lloyd W. Dove Memorial Scholarship Endowment

They met in 1921 on a train bound for Illinois. She was 17 and he was 20.  She was visiting her oldest sister, one of 9 siblings, when they met and struck up a conversation. They soon married. He was a great storyteller and she set a very good table. The only thing they lacked were children; in 60 years of marriage they were never able to have any.

Lloyd and Freda Dove started out poor. He was employed as a coal miner but stopped working the mines when his lungs were adversely affected.  He also wanted to leave the mines after a cave-in in another mine and he said that though he might die, it wouldn’t be trapped underground.  The Doves then worked at a mental hospital and lived on a small salary.  While they were there, a tornado swept through and destroyed everything they had, including a set of new dishes that Freda was particularly proud of; only one saucer was recovered.  They went to California during WWII to make money during the war effort, but had to relocate again since the pollution of the factory and the air were too much for Lloyd’s health.  So they moved to Arizona; Lloyd needed the dry climate for his lungs.  When his health was improved, they moved to Illinois where they raised corn, and then to Indiana where they had a huge red barn and a new house.  It was there that they raised cattle and hogs; Freda even broke her ankle chasing them once.

Frances Rogers, a niece of Freda Dove, recounts stories of her aunt and uncle, a couple who had a "very good marriage" where both of them "teased each other."  Rogers says fondly, "We loved them.  We loved both of them.  They were fun to be around."

As they were getting older, the couple moved to Paragould, where Freda had relatives.

"He (Lloyd) sold the farm and they moved to Paragould, because he felt like he would not live too many years longer and he knew we would look after Aunt Freda," said Rogers.  It was just a short time until that proved to be true.  Lloyd died of lung cancer two years later.

Freda was well taken care of.  Rogers remembers many family members pitching in to do yard work and other chores for her.  "Uncle Lloyd told us to," said Rogers, and that seemed to settle it.

To honor the memory of her husband, Freda began the Lloyd W. Dove Memorial Scholarship Endowment.  Though they have both been gone for many years, to this day, Lloyd and Freda are making the dream of a college education more attainable for students in Greene County, though they each had only an eighth grade education.

"They were hard working people," noted Rogers, "She (Freda) even drove a tractor."  Simply put, they were "very saving people."  Freda was so good with money, in fact, and the Doves so frugal, that Lloyd was still wearing a bathing suit made back during WWII when they moved to Paragould in the late 70’s.  It was a one piece wool suit that had moth holes in it.  And though, according to Rogers, Freda had no "conception of what it cost to raise a family," she certainly helped other families with her gracious gesture, especially in light of the fact that the Doves never had children of their own. Before her death in 1995, Freda was active at the community center in making quits and doing genealogy.  She also loved to read.  While still in her 80’s, Freda could still touch the floor without bending her knees.  So adept was she physically, that she ran in the Senior Olympics, winning medals and even qualified for state.  Freda was born on June 10, 1904, the sixth of 10 children to Eli and Rachel Shumate in East St. Louis, Illinois.  Lloyd Wade was born on September 12, 1901 in Dexter, Missouri and had a foster sister, Lucy.

"She was so proud that she could give that money to the scholarship program," said Rogers. "It did her heart good."  Rogers said that Freda did not want to give a scholarship away in the first year, since she wanted to put the interest back into the endowment and let it grow first.  "She was quite smart when it came to investments," said Rogers.  The endowment proved to be a good investment.  Begun in 1987, over the course of three years, she put in $40,000.  Today, more than $38,000 has been given away in the form of scholarships, while the endowment is now worth more than $51,000.  It was the first scholarship endowment under what is now the Endowment Foundation of Greene County.  There are currently more than 20 scholarship endowments with the EFGC.

A minimum of $10,000 is required to begin an endowment, payable over a three-year period, and can be accumulated through gifts of cash, real estate, bonds, or a variety of other means, according to Karole Risker, Executive Director for the foundation.  Each year, the interest accrued from the endowment, about 5 percent, is available to give away in the form of grants, or in this case, scholarships.  Endowments with only the minimum $10,000 will still have about $500 each year to give away, in perpetuity.  All donations are permanent, as the principal remains invested and only the interest is spent.

Endowments can be created for any purpose, from the arts to the zoo.  Endowments are a way many people are finding to help others after they are gone, including scholarships to people they will never even meet.

Greene County 21st Century Women's Charitable Endowment

A group of women have formed an endowment that will help not just other women, but men and children as well. The Greene County 21st Century Women's Charitable Endowment was established to find and fill needs in Greene County. The Endowment began in April 2003 to grant funds to Greene County organizations and projects. Donations comprise the endowment. Each woman who would like to be a part of this endowment is asked to give a one-time

80 for 80 for 80        

The Endowment Foundation of Greene County is announcing "80 for 80 for 80," a program in which the EFGC is asking 80 businesses or individuals to contribute $80 in honor of the 80th birthday of Harmon Field. The proceeds from this initiative will be placed into the Harmon Field Memorial Alumni Endowment, according to Karole Risker, Executive Director of the EFGC.

The Harmon Field Memorial Alumni Endowment was created in conjunction with the Paragould Booster Club by those Paragould alumni who have an affiliation with Harmon Field, in honor of the field that saw thousands of players and spectators since 1925, including football players, cheerleaders, dance team, band members, track athletes and royalty.  Donations can be given by anyone and are tax-deductible.  Future alumni are encouraged to give and be a part of the endowment as well.  The endowment is now considered fully-funded, having reached the minimum $10,000; however, the endowment can always be added to. Money raised through this endowment will provide for those entities supported through the Booster Club. So far joining "80 for 80 for 80" include All-Star Sporting Goods, Child Art Studio, Wal-Mart, Bank of Paragould, Corner Drug, Roger Colbert family, First National Bank, Mayor Mike Gaskill, Bancorp South, Branch, Thompson, Philhours and Warmath Law Firm, Nunn Construction, Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, M.F. Block Insurance Company, R.J. Carter, Liberty Bank, Allen Engineering, Turner Dairy, Robin Patten, Edward Jones Investments and Lee Purcell.  Donations are accepted at the EFGC office, which can be mailed to P.O. Box 1345, or may be given through the Booster Club.  Please designate Harmon Field on all donations.  Make checks payable to the EFGC or the Arkansas Community Foundation.

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Herget Recounts Memories of Harmon Field

He played football during a time when 22-year old students were allowed to don a uniform and play, when farm kids from the country were recurited as players, and helmets were made of soft leather. He still remembers when their team beat Corning 97-0, and Corning simply quit playing football. Alfred Herget, class of 1938, Paragould native, and the oldest donor to the Harmon Field Memorial Alumni Endowment, reminisces of his days spent on the field. He regales one with a tale of young football players riding on the front fender of a car all the way to Batesville. They wore their helmets for protection. "They stopped every once in a while to check on them," he notes. This was logical at the time-student football players depended on fans to take them to the games, the roads were gravel, and the cars were full. He played for the Bulldogs in red and white at a time when "everybody went out" for football. They had the minimum in football equipment that you could buy in those days, according to Herget. He remembers shoulder pads, pads in pants, and wearing shoes left over from graduating players. Herget almost didn't have a choice in playing football. He recalls that when he got up in the mornings, "kids (were) on the porch waiting for us to start playing football." Their yard didn't contain a blade of grass. The big game was on Thanksgiving afternoon, Paragould vs. Jonesboro, their chief rival. Fighting on the field was not limited to the players; afterwards the fans fought each other. And while football was part of what he did on the field, Herget took part in track, as well. He participated in the relay and pole vault, using bamboo poles wrapped in tape. Herget even won a medal for the pole vault. He was also a band member, having played the saxophone. Band members had to buy their own pants then, a part of the band uniform that also consisted of a coat and hat. Herget said that "somebody borrowed my coat and never gave it back." Though Harmon Field has seen a lot of changes and been hosts to thousands, it essentially remains the same. Riley's Pig restaurant is still around, as is the lot behind the field where a park now stands. The turf has changed somewhat and some bleachers have been added. But there were concession stands and band contests back then, the same as it is now. Harmon Field has held horse shows, graduation ceremonies, beauty pageants, football games and track meets. It was the "place of interest," said Virginia Herget of the field. Being a snare drum player and a relayer, she has a vested interest in the playfield. Though she and her husband, Alfred, are 6 years apart, they still share memories of a place where they both spent a great deal of their youth. Virginia was a good basketball player, enjoyed roller-skating, and won medals for intramurals in the 11th and 12th grades with the hurdle and relays. She was also the homecoming queen, though she hardly thinks it counts since there was a war on at the time. Virginia and Alfred both worked the concession stand when their children were growing up, both played in the band and both participated in track. Just as hundreds of other alumni, they share a bond with the field that brings their memories together. The couple, who also shares a birthday with each other and a grandson, also shared the field with their three girls, all majorettes, one of whom became the homecoming queen, just like mom.

When Helen Helen (Mitchell) Welch first came to Greene County Tech in 1951, she was still in high school. By the time she left, she had worked 38 ½ years, knew hundreds of students, and saw decades of changes. Now she is trying to get a few scholarships in the hands of a new generation of Tech students. "I had a closer contact with students," Welch said. "By the time they were seniors I knew everyone’s name, even though I didn’t teach."

Though she is no longer a constant figure at Tech as the superintendent’s secretary, she still attended her class reunion to speak to former fellow GCT students, cajoling them to give to the Greene County Tech Alumni Scholarship Endowment. The endowment was begun 1 ½ years ago and requires $10,000 before scholarships will be given out.

More students today are attending secondary schools than they did when Welch was first there, she said, making scholarships that much more important. In speaking of how the school has changed in other ways, Welch said today "It’s a lot different."

Back then, not all of the schools even had a telephone. Those in the main building would get a message with a mail bag each day, Welch said. That wasn’t the only thing to change. In the early 1950's, there was consolidation of seven wing schools. "It was probably one of the largest, if not the largest, consolidation at the time," she said. The classes when Greene County Tech was first formed came from schools at Walcott, Greene County, Lakeside and Alexander, according to the Dec. 20, 1984, issue of Wings of Gold, a newsletter of the school. In 1947, the elementary schools were Light, Beech Grove, Alexander, Walcott, Greene County, Lakeside and Shady Grove. Back then the curriculum was extremely basic: cosmetology, mechanics, agriculture, English, math and Social Studies were among some of the classes, Welch said.. According to the newsletter, "The women teachers would make an appointment to get their hair done during their preparation period or lunch." Tech then had about 2,000 students.

Everything was done by hand then, too, Welch said, even accounting. Someone went to the bank to reconcile the bank accounts. The wing schools took bids for coal when they first opened, and school had a split term: students would attend in July and August with a break for cotton picking in September and October, and then resume again.

Welch graduated in 1950 and started as secretary Jan. 1, 1951. She retired June 30, 1998. Evangeline Cothren, board member of the EFGC, was a teacher at the time Welch was a student. Evangeline’s husband, J.C., was also a teacher and later superintendent at the school. They are asking that each graduate give $25, if they can. One graduate gave $500, so there is no limit on the amount that can be given. All present and former GCT students are welcome and invited to give to the endowment, either in their own name or in honor or memory of someone else. Once the endowment reaches $10,000 a committee of local graduates will decide its recipient. The scholarship will go to a Tech graduating senior. The endowment has accumulated more than $9,500. For more information or to give to the endowment, contact Welch at 236-8849 or Cothren at 236-8137.

The Founder's Circle is comprised of businesses and individuals who contribute anually for five years to the operating endowment. There are currently 31 donors who give $1,000 each year to ensure that the ongoing daily needs of the foundation are met. The money is placed into a permanent endowment and the EFGC spends only the interest accrued each year. "Being a member of the Endowment Foundation of Greene County (as a Founder's Circle member)gives me the opportunity to give back to my community some of the benefits my family and I have

been a part of for many years. As those of the past have provided through the community, schools and churches, I have the opportunity and obligation to share with generations to come. We all build on and benefit from the heritage that others have provided," said Esther Thompson, Founder's Circle member (now deceased).

The Founder's Circle includes:

Robert and Marilyn Alexander	Ray and Florence Distretti	Jeff and Karen Ryan
J. Dewayne & Mary Ann Allen	First National Bank	Frank and Mary Ann Schreit
American State Bank	William (Bill) and Anne Fisher	Drs. Mack and Vern Ann Shotts
William (Bill) & Katherine Block	Danny and Linda Futrell	John and Glenda Smoot
Brian and Tory Borne	R.E. and Hazeldine Green	Fred Swindle
Bob and Jo Ann Branch	Hays Food Town, Inc.	Esther Thompson
Terry and Teresa Burge	Larry and Kelley Huffman	Union Planters Bank
Jane Cochran	Betty Jackson	R.L. and Anne Wells
Roger and Kelly Colbert	Bryant and Elaine Marshall	Roy Whitten
J.C. and Evangeline Cothren	Liberty Bank	Dr. Dwight and Judy Williams
L.A. Darling	Karole A. Risker	Dale Coy