Mary Pettus Thomas Memorial Scholarship

Mrs. Elizabeth T. Caldwell (1917-2012) graduated from West Tennessee State Teachers College, now the University of Memphis, in 1939 with a degree in history. Mrs. Caldwell understood the tremendous impact scholarships have on students’ ability to attend college and made provisions in her estate for two scholarships. The first is the Mary Pettus Thomas Memorial Scholarship at the University of Memphis, which honors the memory of her aunt, a professor of languages here during the 1930s.
Her second scholarship was for students attending the University of Memphis Lambuth Campus in Jackson, Tennessee. With support from the Elizabeth T. Caldwell Living Trust, this scholarship is given to students with significant financial need. Those students receive an award sufficient enough to allow them to focus on their studies without financial burdens.