Centenarian establishes two scholarships

On Feb. 26, 1995, Ouida Midkiff Burrus of Winona celebrated her 100th birthday. That same day she donated $30,000 to Mississippi State University to support scholarships for deserving students in the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

The contribution will be divided evenly to support students studying in the Department of Home Economics and the Department of Landscape Architecture. Burrus made an additional $1,000 donation to get the scholarship fund started this coming fall.

Burrus, a 20-year employee of the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service on campus, named the scholarships in memory of two of her former colleagues at MCES. The Burrus-Key Endowed Scholarship in Home Economics honors the late Ida Morgan Key, a former MCES associate. The Burrus-Pittman Endowed Scholarship in Landscape Architecture honors the late Myrtis Gill Pittman, a former MCES secretary.

The Burrus Scholarships will be available for full-time Mississippi State students enrolled in one of the two disciplines and who maintain a minimum 3.0 grade-point average, or for high school students who plan to study in one of the areas and have attained a B average.

From 1927 to 1947, Burrus worked for MCES, first as a home demonstration agent in Lowndes County and later as an extension specialist in clothing on the main campus. She has long been a financial supporter of the university's scholarship program.

"Mrs. Burrus had an outstanding record of dedication, loyalty, integrity, and service while she was employed with the extension service," said Charlie Weatherly, development officer for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine. "She spent many days traveling across Mississippi promoting the aims and objectives of the extension service and improving the lives of many Mississippians."