FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Rev. Thomas Richardson (B.A. ’53) and his wife, Corinne, of Alamogordo, N.M., have funded a charitable gift annuity in the amount of $350,000 to establish an endowed scholarship for the benefit of students in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

“I hope the money will provide help for students who are very deserving but may not be able to attend college otherwise,” Tom Richardson said. “My whole experience at the University of Arkansas was good, and I want to share that with others. The college experience meant a lot to me.”

Though the couple does not reside nearby, the University of Arkansas has remained close to their hearts. Originally from Illinois, Richardson came to Arkansas to study pre-med. His two uncles worked at the university: one as the head of the math department and one as the head university physician. A call to the ministry led Richardson to major in philosophy and psychology. Richardson was the one student from his junior class to be inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1952. He was very involved in the student culture.

“I was very familiar with Arkansas because of our many family visits to the area,” he said. “I had a lot of roots in the area, and we visited every year.”

“The charitable gift annuity is a perfect way for the Richardsons to receive a quarterly payment — with a return that is better than many other investments — and still allows them to leave a nice gift to the university,” said Renee Brida, director of planned giving at the University of Arkansas. “I join the Fulbright College in thanking Tom and Corinne for their generosity. Many students will benefit from their gift.”

This gift will support undergraduate students who need financial assistance to pay the cost of tuition and academic fees. 

“I made a similar gift a few years back to my Methodist conference organization,” said Richardson. “I thought about other possibilities for additional gifts, and the University of Arkansas met our needs the best.”

As a Methodist minister, Richardson served as an Air Force chaplain for 20 years. He also pastored five different churches until he retired in 1997. The Richardsons remain active in their church.