A family of Eagles

Jim Dotson (Class of 1969, 1973) and his wife, Sue (Class of 1966) are dedicated Eagles and it runs in the family. His brother-in-law is well-known Eagle and retiree, Clyde James (Class of 1965). His son Jonathan (Class of 2000, 2001), and his daughter-in-law, Jennifer (Class of 2002), both also graduated from MSU.

When Jim passed away in 2021, his family honored his legacy by creating the Jim E. Dotson Memorial Education Endowment to support students majoring in education from Pike County, Kentucky or Franklin County, Ohio.

Education was Jim’s passion, and the scholarship is a fitting way to honor his memory. He devoted nearly four decades of his life to education and he believed students were at the heart of everything one does.

Honoring others through scholarships

Captain Bruce D. Rutherford (Class of 1971), a native of Pineville, has traveled in many directions since his graduation, but he never forgot about the places he called home.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in science at MSU, he joined the U.S. Navy and he served in various roles responsible for coordinating logistical blood support. In 2013, he was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Armed Services Blood Program.

He has established two endowments with contributions totaling nearly $100,000. The Captain Bruce D. Rutherford Scholarship Endowment is awarded to students from Bell or Harlan counties to ensure they have the financial support they need to fulfill their dreams.

He also made a commitment to honor the memory of others with an endowment in memory of his cousin, William Ray “Billy” Cornett who tragically passed away in an automobile accident. The memorial scholarship supports incoming students from Menifee County. To honor his contributions, a space inside of the Adron Doran University Center was named the Robert and Orene Wright Rutherford Conference Room, in honor of his parents.

Scholarship established honoring Eagle’s life

The late John Greenwood (Class of 1984) was a former member of the Morehead State men’s golf program in the 1980s. After graduating from Morehead State in 1984, the Dayton, Ohio, native entered a career in the television industry working with Dayton’s Fox-45. Despite crossing the border into Ohio, John’s relationship with MSU, and his former golf teammates, continued.

Upon his passing in April 2020, the John Greenwood Memorial Golf Scholarship was established by his friends and family to honor his memory and legacy. The scholarship will support Eagle golfers and continue John’s ties to the MSU golf program that he loved so dear.