Dedicated Teacher From Rural Arkansas Remembered Through Endowed Scholarship

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Gladys Harris dedicated her life to teaching. She was born in 1904 in rural Arkansas, the youngest of nine children. After completing the 8^th grade, which is as far as school went in those days, she began teaching elementary school. Eventually, the state of Arkansas required school teachers to work toward a college degree in order to continue to teach, so she took evening correspondence courses and on-campus courses in the summers. She would ride the bus to college every summer because she never learned to drive a car, and she lived in the residence halls.

She earned a degree at the age of 57 at Arkansas State Teacher’s College — now the University of Central Arkansas — and retired only eight years later. Although she passed away in 2001, she will forever be remembered through a scholarship at the University of Arkansas.

Harris’ grandson, Mark Davis (B.S.B.A. 1975) and his wife, Denise (B.S.E. 1975) of Canyon, Texas, have given $25,000 to establish the Gladys Harris Endowed Scholarship to be awarded to a student interested in pursuing a teaching career. Preference will be given to students from Harris’ hometown of Mountainburg, Ark. She is the reason Denise Davis decided to become a teacher, and Mark and Denise’s daughter, Ashley, also became a teacher due to the positive family influence.

“My grandmother was a woman of strong faith,” said Mark Davis. “She was an inspiration to me all of my life, and she always encouraged me to work hard and get as much education as I could. Not once did I ever hear her complain about how difficult it must have been to raise a family by herself and to work toward her college degree. She had strong connections in the Mountainburg area, and I want to be able to help other students who share her passion for education.”

Mark Davis is the president of Jack B. Kelley Inc. in Amarillo, Texas. JBK is the nation’s largest trucking contract carrier of cryogenic liquids and industrial gases. In addition to Ashley, the Davises have one son, Matthew.