Fayetteville Couple Donates $100,000 for Electrical Engineering Scholarships

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Hugh and Martha Brewer.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Alumni Hugh and Martha Brewer of Fayetteville are creating the Hugh and Martha Brewer Endowed Scholarship in Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas with a $100,000 gift. This scholarship is in addition to a bequest made to the department for the Hugh and Martha Brewer Academic Enrichment Fund in Electrical Engineering in 2004.

“The Brewers are wonderful supporters of the College of Engineering,” said Dean John English. “Hugh has been very involved with our college, and I know he and Martha care deeply about helping students. Their scholarship is a nod to all of the students, who – like Hugh – work throughout college to earn their degrees. I hope his story will be an inspiration to them.”

Hugh Brewer is a Fort Smith native who transferred to the University of Arkansas after attending Arkansas Tech University. He remembers wanting to become an electrical engineer from a very early age, but wasn’t exactly sure how he would accomplish that goal.

Brewer worked throughout his academic career to fund his degree and graduated in 1959. Professor Bryan Webb served as his mentor and adviser in the College of Engineering and helped him extensively during that time. Brewer spent his career as an engineer with the Southwestern Electric Power Co. and McClelland Engineers before purchasing Upchurch Electrical Supply Co. in 1970, where he served as the president and chief executive officer until his retirement.

In recognition of his successful career and dedication to his community, Brewer was given the Community Service Award from the Arkansas Alumni Association in 2014. He will be inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame this spring.

Martha Rice Brewer grew up in Clarksville and moved to Fort Smith for high school, where she met Hugh. The two dated throughout their high school and college years, despite going to different colleges initially. Martha graduated from Monticello College in Illinois and then enrolled as a history major at the University of Arkansas. After graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in 1958, she later went on to earn a Master of Arts in history as well, both from the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Today, Martha combines her love for history and her love for her church by collaborating with others on a written history of the First Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville.

Because of Hugh’s experience working through college, the Brewers felt compelled to give back and help other students who might be facing similar circumstances. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am or what I am today without my degree from the University of Arkansas,” Hugh said. Martha added, “He received help along the way, and we wanted to help someone else.”

Undergraduate students who are majoring in electrical engineering and enrolled full-time will be eligible for the Hugh and Martha Brewer Endowed Scholarship in Electrical Engineering. Consideration will be based equally on merit and financial need, and the scholarship may be renewed as long as the recipient maintains a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, enrolls full-time each academic year and submits a scholarship application each year.

The Brewers are members of the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Society, life members of the Arkansas Alumni Association and recognized as Thoroughreds for their consecutive years of giving. They are also included in the Towers of Old Main, a recognition society for the university’s most generous benefactors.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.