Alumni Terry and Faye (Attaway) Whitworth both credit the education they received at Truman for preparing them to have successful careers, and they have returned the favor with a sizeable donation to establish two new scholarships.

Through a gift earlier this year, the Whitworths have set up two scholarships for undergraduate students. One will go to a student majoring biology, the other to a pre-MAE student in social and cultural studies.

In addition to putting the Whitworths on the path to successful careers, Truman also brought them together as a couple. Terry, a northeast Missouri native, came to the University from Martinstown. Faye picked Truman because it was centrally located and she was unsure where her family would be stationed with her father in the Air Force.

The couple married during their sophomore year. After graduating in 1968, they both pursued graduate degrees from Utah State University. Faye has a Master of Science degree in history and Master of Science in Education degree with an emphasis in special education, while Terry has a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in entomology.

Currently, the Whitworths live in Tacoma, Wash., where Terry is an adjunct professor at Washington State University and the owner of Whitworth Pest Solutions. Faye retired from teaching after 37 years. 

The Whitworths established their scholarships with a cash donation of $40,000, and they intend to continue adding support to the funds each year. Like many who turn 70 1/2, they are required to take minimum withdrawals from their IRAs each year. The Whitworths have chosen to make Qualified Charitable Distributions – a required minimum distribution that is paid directly to a charity – to fund the scholarships. They also have left a gift to Truman through their estate plan. Because they know the difficulties that face a young couple while working toward a degree, the Whitworths have asked that their scholarships give preference to married students.