New Memorial Scholarship Honors Mimses’ Son

by Sharon Smith

Two years have passed since Cindy and Ron Mims’ son’s unexpected passing. The earthly loss of their only child brought overwhelming grief, along with a deep desire to honor Ronnie, Jr. by helping others. The Mimses decided to create a new Legacy League scholarship to enable students with challenging circumstances to “pursue dreams, goals and opportunities.”

“Life makes twist and turns, and … we sometimes get thorns instead of flowers. We had a wonderful son, Ronnie Mims, Jr., who died, and we are very, very sad and miss him a lot. But as believers we are not going to let the thorns cause more and continued hurt and sadness. (We) are working awfully hard to turn a bad, sad situation into something good. This will be a way of helping for a long, long time, (so others will) have the opportunity to have long-term success that we missed with our son, Ronnie, Jr.”

Ronnie, Jr. joined the Mims family as a three-week-old, an answered prayer for his parents, who waited five long years for a child. He was “an encourager with a tender heart,” described Cindy. “He loved people, and he was a leader in the community.” An athlete, Ronnie excelled at tennis, which he loved to play with his dad. He spent six years in the U.S. Air Force, becoming a staff sergeant before his honorable discharge.

The Mimses met at Samford where Ron studied pharmacy and Cindy majored in elementary education. Attending the university was a financial challenge, particularly for Ron, whose tennis scholarship and jobs made it possible. Both Ron and Cindy credit Samford for providing a strong foundation for their successful careers. Cindy taught for 25 years; Ron’s work as a pharmacist spans over four decades. They’re eager to see the transformational impact of their new scholarship and hope others will be inspired to change lives, too. 