A gift from the estate of Peggy Bibler Hawkins has created a new endowed scholarship at Arkansas Tech University.

The principal endowment of $750,000 will provide financial assistance for students who meet the scholarship requirements.

An Arkansas Tech alumna, Hawkins taught in the schools at Waldron, Dover and Dardanelle. She loved books, as was evidenced by her status as co-owner of Centennial Bookshop and librarian at Second Baptist Church in Russellville.

She also worked at the family business, Bibler Brothers Lumber Company. Hawkins died on Dec. 21, 2019. She was 85.

Recipients of the Peggy Bibler Hawkins Endowed Scholarship must be the child of a certified law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty, a U.S. citizen in good academic standing and eligible to apply for undergraduate study at Arkansas Tech.

Entering ATU students who apply for the scholarship must have a cumulative 2.5 high school grade point average on a 4.0 scale and a minimum ACT score of 17. GED students must meet the minimum admissions requirements as set by the university.

Returning ATU students who apply for the scholarship must have demonstrated the potential to succeed and show academic progress toward a degree.

Peggy Bibler Hawkins Scholarship recipients must maintain a minimum schedule of 12 hours per semester. Each scholarship is for one semester with the possibility of renewal if the student continues to meet the criteria.

-By Sam Strasner
for the Tech Action, Spring 2021