(Su Ofe, Montgomery, AL) - Huntingdon College President J. Cameron West announced today that two scholarships have been established to honor Huntingdon alumna Pearl Norton Jackson (Mrs. Alto L.) of Clio, Alabama. The scholarships were established by Mrs. Jackson's daughter, Caroline Jackson, of Arlington, Virginia. The Pearl Norton Jackson Endowed Scholarship and the Pearl Norton Jackson Gift Scholarship will be awarded to students of high achievement who are majoring in mathematics.
Mrs. Jackson, a 1939 Huntingdon College graduate and mathematics major, won the College's Margaret Read Scholarship Medal for earning the highest four-year academic grade point average (4.0) in her class.
After graduation, Mrs. Jackson taught math, science and English for two years at Capitol Heights Jr. High School in Montgomery and for another two years at Clio's Barbour County High School. For the next two decades, she supported her four children in attaining academic excellence. In 1966 she accepted the newly-created position of Title I Supervisor for the Barbour County School System, assisting teachers in 24 schools in teaching "new math" to students. At age 57 she earned her Master of Science degree at night and continued in her supervisory position until retirement at age 74.
A life-long resident of Barbour County, Mrs. Jackson taught the youth Sunday School class at Clio United Methodist Church and, until age 90, served as church treasurer.
Preference for the scholarship recipients will be given to those majoring in math who are Barbour County residents and active members of United Methodist churches in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. Incoming freshmen who have earned grade point averages of at least 3.0 are eligible to be considered for the Pearl Norton Jackson Endowed Scholarship. A 3.3 grade point average is required for the Pearl Norton Jackson Gift Scholarship.
Daughter Caroline Jackson recalls, "When I entered Huntingdon as a freshman in the 1960s, professors who had taught Mother warmly welcomed me as 'Pearl's daughter.' Mother's devotion to Huntingdon and her friendships made there have continued over her lifetime. At 94, Mother is happy that these scholarships can enable other students to experience the joy of Huntingdon."
President West said, "We are delighted to partner with Caroline Jackson to honor the beautiful life of her mother. These two scholarships will be a continuing reminder of Mrs. Jackson's love for Huntingdon."
Huntingdon College, grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the United Methodist Church, is committed to nurturing growth in faith, wisdom, and service and to graduating individuals prepared to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Founded in 1854, Huntingdon is a coeducational liberal arts college. The College motto, "Enter to grow in wisdom; go forth to apply wisdom in service," is inscribed in stone above the front door of John Jefferson Flowers Hall. Ranked in the top tier of regional colleges by U.S. News and World Report and consistently listed in the Princeton Review's "The Best Colleges: Region by Region," Huntingdon has for two years been recognized on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
