Howard Payne University junior Lacy Culpepper, a management major from Zephyr, recently received the James L. Williamson Scholarship. Williamson, a 1970 HPU graduate and former vice president for development, established the scholarship in 1992 for students pursuing a career in insurance and/or financial planning.
Dr. Les Plagens, dean of HPU’s School of Business, recommended Culpepper for the award.
“On behalf of the HPU business faculty I was proud to recommend Lacy Culpepper for the James Williamson Scholarship,” he said. “The selection was based on his outstanding academic record as well as his character in and out of the classroom. We appreciate consideration given by James Williamson to establish this fund and to provide this encouragement to a student like Lacy who has an interest in a finance-related career.”
Williamson says he is happy to be a part of a legacy that will continue long after he is gone.
“I first started contributing to the fund on my birthday 21 years ago,” he said. “It didn’t grow overnight – I just went to work and contributed regularly because I cared. I want students to come to HPU and receive the same extra attention that I received as a student.”
Culpepper is an active member of HPU’s Baptist Student Ministry and has worked in the university’s Office of Admissions his entire time at HPU. As a captain of the Jacket Ambassadors, he trains other student tour guides who introduce prospective students to life on campus.
He called the scholarship a “surprise blessing.”
“It was an extreme honor to receive the scholarship,” he said. “It is difficult for me to express my gratitude to its full extent, I pray God continues to bless Mr. Williamson and his family so that he can continue to give so generously, allowing students such as myself to one day ‘pay it forward’ as he has done.”
To establish or contribute to a scholarship at HPU please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 325-649-8006 or via email at give@hputx.edu.
Pictured above, scholarship recipient Lacy Culpepper, center, with Williamson (right) and Dr. Les Plagens, dean of HPU’s School of Business (left).