Roy
Clarke Jr. and Iris Cooper McGuffin were interested in finding a way to honor
their respective parents while at the same time helping future generations.
They achieved that goal by establishing an endowment, which recently became
fully funded and is helping UNF students become teachers and nurses.
The dual purpose of the endowment is
unusual but reflects the life of the individuals honored. Clarke and McGuffin
were raised across the street from one another in Jacksonville. McGuffin’s
mother became a single parent after her father died. Her mother not only raised
the family but earned her RN degree, became a hospital surgical nurse and
served as a neighborhood nurse. To honor her mother, McGuffin established the
Evelyn Cooper Nursing Scholarship.
Clarke’s mother, Hazel, was the only
child of 12 to earn a college degree. She raised three children and taught in
Duval County schools for 25 years. While earning her teaching certification,
she commuted to what was then known as the Florida State
College for Women and
is now called Florida State University. The Roy and Hazel Clarke Education
Scholarship was created to honor her efforts in particular and to give
recognition to Clarke’s husband, who supported his wife’s career.
“When Iris and I decided to create an
award to honor our parents, we wanted to be able to participate in the
scholarship process. We selected UNF because of its location, high-quality
curriculum and it was an institution that desired and encouraged our
participation,” Clarke noted.
Clarke
and McGuffin have met all of their scholarship recipients, including Lauryn
Philpot, a senior majoring in education. Philpot has used the scholarship to
help overcome a number of personal family challenges. Her father, who underwent
open-heart surgery when he was only 35, was a stay-at-home dad while
recovering. In 2007, Philpot’s mother suffered a stroke shortly before losing
her job in the mortgage industry. Although both her parents are now healthy and
working, Philpot has three brothers with college plans, one of whom is
currently at UNF. To help out, Philpot works as a waitress on weekends, while
completing her unpaid teaching internship during the week. She is able to make
ends meet with the Clarke Scholarship, which has proved to be her lifeline.
“I believe God places each of us on this
Earth for a reason and for me, that reason is to educate other people, so they
can live a life just as great as the one I’ve been given,” Philpot said. “With education,
every person has an endless list of opportunities. I’m grateful for this
opportunity.”
