R.L. and Maurice Steward Memorial scholarship established at EACC
The family of Robert Lee and Maurice Steward has established the R.L. and Maurice Steward Memorial Endowed Scholarship through the East Arkansas Community College Foundation.
Established by Shelvy and Robbia Keglar with an initial donation of $15,000 in memory of her parents, the scholarship endowment will benefit minority students who graduated from Forrest City High School.
R.L. and Maurice Steward were longtime residents of the Forrest City area. Maurice spent 43 years as a local teacher who advocated for higher education, and Robert was a local farmer.
Both natives of Arkansas, Robert Lee Steward, known as R.L., was born in St. Francis County and Maurice was born in Fargo. Her father, Leroy Washington Mahon, founded the town of Fargo and was on the board of directors of the Fargo Agricultural Boarding School to insure his children were well educated. Mr. and Mrs. Steward met while attending the Fargo Agricultural School. Robert’s mother sent him to complete his high school education in Fargo because there were few educational opportunities for children of color in the area where he was raised. He excelled in baseball and basketball while attending the Fargo Agricultural School.
Robert Steward had an entrepreneurial spirit and was a successful landowner and businessman. His farm was located on the St. Francis River near Lakeside, and he harvested cotton and soybeans, as well as okra, cucumbers, and pecans.
After high school, Maurice Steward attended Philander Smith College in Little Rock where she majored in home economics. During World War II, she worked in Kansas City at Pratt Whitney, a plant which manufactured airplane engines. While in Kansas City, she also completed cosmetology school and took voice lessons at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Twenty years and seven children later, Maurice graduated Cum Laude from Philander Smith College with a degree in elementary education in 1957.
Maurice served over 40 years as a local educator. She became the music director for the choir at Eldridge Butler Elementary School, and she also taught at DeRossitt Elementary School and Madison Elementary School.
Mr. and Mrs. Steward were committed and engaged in all activities related to their children’s quality of education, life success and spiritual development. They left for their family a legacy of strong work ethic, family values, perseverance and character. The torch continues to be passed on to their next generation, keeping the Stewards’ legacy and values in education alive, college officials said in a press release.
“We appreciate Shelvy and Robbia Keglar for their generous donation in establishing this scholarship, and we are thankful for their commitment to students in our community and to the College,” said Dr. Cathie Cline, EACC President.
“Through this scholarship, the Keglars are providing opportunities for minority students graduating from Forrest City High School that will not be available to them through other colleges and universities,” said Cline. “This scholarship will further assist EACC in continuing our progress of closing the gap in graduation rates between white and minority students.”
“The EACC Foundation is grateful for the generosity of the Keglers for this endowed scholarship established in honor of her parents and their legacy,” said Niki Jones, EACC Director of Development. “It will aid students in their academic journeys for years to come.”
“We would like to thank the family of Mr. and Mrs. Steward for their generous donation and the creation of this scholarship,” said Dr. Tiffany Hardrick, Forrest City School District Superintendent. “Mrs. Steward was a dedicated Forrest City School District employee and devoted her life to teaching the children of the Forrest City School District. This scholarship will assist future district students with following in her footsteps.”
The R.L. and Maurice Steward Memorial Endowed Scholarship is dedicated to assisting a full-time EACC minority student who graduated from FCHS and is pursuing a degree in education. The award will be $500 based on availability of funds, to cover expenses of tuition, fees, books and supplies.
The EACC Foundation’s mission is to generate support and advocacy for East Arkansas Community College in the communities it serves.
For more information about the R.L. and Maurice Steward Memorial Endowed Scholarship and other scholarship opportunities offered through the EACC Foundation, call 870-6334480, ext. 352 or email njones@eacc.edu.