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Students in ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ's Department of Art will benefit from the recent agreement to begin the Merle Merritt Booker Scholarship in Art. The first award will be given in fall of 2016 to financially support a deserving art student towards his or her educational goals.

Merle Booker is a native of Beaumont, graduated Beaumont High School and went on to Lamar State College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in commercial art in 1958. At Lamar, she was active in the Student Government Association and the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. Booker later owned a successful antique and collectible business in Beaumont.

Jimmy and Merle Booker have been of frequent service to ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ. Jimmy has served on the Cardinal Club Board, the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Foundation Board, the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Alumni Association, the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Engineering Advisory Council, and the ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Industrial Engineering Advisory Council.

Merle served on the Class of 1958 Reunion Steering Committee. Jimmy, Merle and family members established a scholarship in 2006 in memory of their daughter, Cynthia, who succumbed to breast cancer in 1999.

All undergrad and graduate levels are eligible for the scholarship. Students must be full time and maintain a 3.0 GPA to qualify as a recipient.

For more information about establishing an endowed scholarship, contact ËÄ»¢Ó°ÊÓ Development at (409) 880-8422.