OXFORD, Miss. – From a small community in southeast
Louisiana, the late Wallace E. Hope – a product of the Great Depression
– began working when he was 10 and persevered to become a gas company
executive. The legacy he created with his wife, Elizabeth, will be
continued through University of Mississippi scholarships funded with
their $450,000 gift.
“My parents – both very intelligent – never had the opportunity to go
to college,” said William M. “Bill” Hope of Memphis, the couple’s son
and a UM alumnus. “They were not unlike others in their generation.
They worked very hard from a young age, but they were fortunate to do
extremely well. Being caring people, they planned this gift to provide
educational opportunities for others.”
Wallace Hope died in
2005 at age 86. Elizabeth Hope, who lives in Fairfield Bay, Ark.,
recently formalized the couple’s plans for a charitable trust to fund
scholarships at their only child’s alma mater.
Two-thirds of the trust has created the Wallace E. and Elizabeth G.
Hope Scholarship Endowment, providing financial support to Ole Miss
students in the School of Education and the School of Nursing program
on the Oxford campus. The other third is designated for the James W.
“Jimmy” Davis Scholarship Fund in the Patterson School of Accountancy.
“We commend the Hope family for recognizing the need for expanded
educational opportunities, particularly in the South,” said Tom
Burnham, dean of education. “The School of Education interacts with
many university students with financial struggles who desire to become
quality teachers. The Hope Scholarship Endowment will allow our
students to continue their pursuits in the education profession, making
an immeasurable impact on the lives of children. For this, we are
grateful.”
Bill Hope said his parents chose to assist the School of
Education because the gift would help prepare future educators, who
then could go out and impact many lives. They selected the nursing
program because of the constant shortage of nurses. In addition, Hope
described his mother as being “very bright” and said she would have
pursued a career in the medical field if she had had the opportunity to
go to college.
Hope was invited by his parents to direct the other third of the gift,
and he decided to honor professor and friend James W. “Jimmy” Davis,
holder of the Eugene Peery Chair of Accountancy.
“Jimmy Davis taught me auditing,” said Hope, the former managing
partner of the Rhea & Ivy accounting firm, which merged in 2008
with Dixon Hughes. “He had a huge influence on me and my decision to
stay in public accounting. I want to recognize and thank him.”
Davis remembers Hope among the first class of students he taught at Ole Miss.
“It was a stellar group, equal to any we have ever had,” Davis said.
“Bill was confident and the image of success we knew he would achieve. He did just that: rose to the top position in a firm, always supported
Ole Miss, hired more than his share of our graduates, and maintained
personal and professional friendships over 45 years. I am proud to call
him my friend, and I am honored – and humbled – that this gift will
enhance the scholarships that bear my name.”
Hope said that his father also played an integral role in his professional success.
“When I graduated from Ole Miss with two degrees, my dad told
me, ‘What you’ve got to understand is, all you have is an opportunity –
it is a great one – but the game is just starting,'” he said. “I took
him seriously and made something of my opportunity. I hope the
scholarships provided by my parents will encourage recipients to be the
best they can be.”
Wallace Hope spent his career with Amoco – which had grown to be
the largest natural gas producer in North America by the end of the
20th century – and served in various management positions throughout
the Southern and Midwestern regions of the country. The family lived a
number of years in McComb but moved often with Amoco. The Hopes were
residing in Macon, Ga., when their son graduated from high school and
headed to Ole Miss, a trip he likened to “going home.”
Bill Hope earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in accountancy. He
serves on the Patterson School’s Advisory Council. He and his wife,
Clara Dean, an Ole Miss alumna, are the parents of a son, Spence, who
with his wife, Kristin, pursue careers with an investment banking firm.
For more information about contributing to scholarship programs and other initiatives at the University of Mississippi, go to http://www.umfoundation.com/