Award-winning actor establishes minority scholarships

The philanthropic foundation headed by the star of such films as Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption has pledged $100,000 to support minority students at Mississippi State.

The contribution from actor and director Morgan Freeman's Rock River Foundation will establish the Morgan Freeman Endowment for Veterinary Medicine. The fund will provide scholarships for minority students who are residents of the state of Mississippi and who are interested in studying veterinary medicine at Mississippi State.

"Mr. Freeman is an extremely generous individual who has the vision to see the need for minority veterinarians to help meet the state of Mississippi's medical and research needs," said Dr. Dwight Mercer, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "The Freeman Scholarships will provide opportunities for promising students of diverse cultures and backgrounds to study veterinary medicine at Mississippi State and contribute to the state's continued economic growth."

Born in Memphis, Freeman now makes his home on a ranch just north of Charleston, Miss., near where he spent his early youth. In addition to his acting career, he enjoys his ranch and horses.

Mercer said the three-time Academy Award-nominated actor became interested in Mississippi State's veterinary medicine program in 1994 when he visited the campus to attend the college's 20th anniversary celebration as a guest of his Tallahatchie County veterinarian Dr. Stuart Denman. Freeman was the guest speaker for the event.

Freeman began his acting career in 1967 in such Broadway productions as Hello Dolly. Since then, he has starred in numerous stage, film, and television productions. He won his first Golden Globe award and his first Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for his role as an explosive pimp in the 1987 movie Street Smart.

He is best known for his role as the late Jessica Tandy's chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy in 1989, which earned him his second Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination as best actor. His third Academy Award nomination came in 1994 for his lead role as a prison inmate in The Shawshank Redemption.

Freeman's other film credits include Lean on Me and Glory in 1989, The Bonfire of the Vanities in 1990, Unforgiven in 1992, and Outbreak in 1995. He made his directoral debut in the 1993 film Bopha!

He currently stars opposite Brad Pitt in Seven.

Since its establishment in 1974, the College of Veterinary Medicine has achieved national acclaim, including becoming the first such program to implement computers into the curriculum. The college currently is in the second year of a problem-based curriculum that also is receiving national attention.