Walton College Alumnus Donates Doctoral Fellowship

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Alumnus Larry T. Wilson is helping to recruit highly qualified doctoral candidates to the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Wilson has donated $125,000 to establish the Larry T. Wilson Doctoral Fellowship in the Walton College. The gift will be matched by $125,000 from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation's $300 million gift. The match will help create a fellowship endowment of $250,000, which will generate investment returns to support the education and research endeavors of highly capable doctoral students.

"We are very grateful to Larry for his support of the Walton College," said Dean Doyle Z. Williams. "There is a critical need for top doctoral students to graduate and fill teaching positions in business schools. This gift will make an impact on our doctoral program for fall 2005."

Wilson, who received a degree in industrial management in 1970 and an M.B.A. from the Walton College in 1971, is chairman, president, and CEO of First Arkansas Bank & Trust in Jacksonville, Ark. In 2003, the Walton College awarded Wilson the Alumni Outstanding Service Award for his commitment and many hours of service to the Walton College and the University of Arkansas. He has led the Walton College's Campaign for the Twenty-First Century committee since it was launched in 2001. Wilson has been a member of the College's Dean's Executive Advisory Board since 1997 and has provided valuable direction for the growth of the college.

Wilson serves on the University of Arkansas 2010 Commission. He is in the Arkansas Alumni House Hall of Honor and the Razorback Foundation Top 200. Since he joined First Arkansas Bank & Trust in 1971, he has helped grow the institution and has been an active member of the community, the Little Rock Air Base and the surrounding area.

Wilson's father, the late Kenneth "Pat" Wilson, was a 1948 graduate of the college, and his mother, Ruth Wilson, holds a B.A. degree from the U of A. His son, Mark Wilson, received his M.B.A. from the college in 2001, and his son, Patrick D. Wilson, received a degree from the UA School of Law in 1999.

This gift counts toward the University of Arkansas' campaign-within-a-campaign to raise $300 million for academic purposes to match the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation's $300 million gift. The $300 Million Challenge must raise funds between Jan. 1, 2002, and June 30, 2005, the end of the Campaign. The Challenge total stands at $198 million, and the overall Campaign total stands at $832 million as of July 31, 2004.