FLORENCE, S.C. – The J. Parks and Mary Louise Garrison Scholarship has been established at Francis Marion University.

 The purpose of the scholarship is to support students who might not otherwise be able to afford a college education. The scholarship will be funded in the amount of $4,500 annually.

 The recipient must demonstrate financial need, but not qualify for the state’s Life or Hope scholarships. The recipient must meet specified academic standards and be a legal resident of South Carolina. The recipient is eligible for repeat awards, provided all qualifications are met.

 The Garrisons are originally from North Carolina, and have lived in Florence for 35 years. They decided to establish a scholarship due to the positive experience that their nephew, Mike Boswell, had while he was a student at FMU. Boswell graduated in 1990 with a B.B.A. degree in computer information systems management.

 “FMU made his life successful,” J. Parks Garrison said of his nephew. “Life has been fortunate to us, and we wanted to return something to the community.”

#125 / 3-11-04