Shattuck natives fund, receive OSU scholarship
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Thanks to the new Don and Emily Vincent Endowed Scholarship, the Oklahoma State University Foundation is providing $1,500 to an incoming freshman from Shattuck High School each year.
This semester’s recipient, Ashlee Shryock, is considering majoring in English with a minor in communications at OSU. She eventually plans to pursue a career in law or teaching English.
“I am so grateful that Mr. Vincent and his sons established this scholarship,” Shryock said. “I’m the oldest of four, so my parents have to put four of us through college. This scholarship really helped alleviate some of that financial struggle. It’s really a wonderful thing that the Vincents are doing. I know a lot of people in Shattuck who could use $1,500 toward attending such a great university.”
Shattuck High alumni Mike, Mark and Brad Vincent established this scholarship in honor of their parents, Don and Emily Vincent. The OSU alumni were approaching their 52nd wedding anniversary when Emily passed away in 2006.
“Both sides of our family were very big on education and both sides were in rural areas,” Brad Vincent said. “They brought us up to believe in the value of education. We want our parents’ legacy to live on.”
Don Vincent and Emily Victor met at Oklahoma A&M College as freshmen in the 1950s when an alphabetical seating arrangement put them next to each other for a class in OSU’s original building, Old Central. They married in 1954, shortly after Emily completed a secondary education degree. Don earned a business and public administration degree in 1955.
Don then transitioned from the ROTC to active duty in the Air Force. The couple lived in Fort Worth, Texas, for two years before moving to Levelland, Texas, for several months. After a brief stop in Oklahoma City, they settled near the panhandle in Shattuck in January 1961, where they operated and eventually owned Vincent Motor Company. They later sold the dealership, which is now known as Jess Wales Chevrolet. Coincidentally, Shryock once worked there part-time.
Don spent 40 years in the automobile business, while Emily devoted 23 years to making a home for her husband and three sons. She then updated her degree and taught fourth grade in Shattuck for 20 years.
All three of their sons earned college degrees, with Mark and Brad joining their parents as OSU alumni.
“This scholarship is intended to be a continuation of the commitment to education instilled in us not just by our parents, but by our grandparents as well,” Brad Vincent said.
Each applicant must have at least a 2.5 high-school GPA and be enrolled full-time at OSU. If there are no eligible recipients from Shattuck, students from elsewhere in Ellis County will be given consideration.
Additional gifts to this fund will increase the annual scholarship production, creating more or larger awards. Those interested in contributing can visit OSUgiving.com/Vincent or contact Glenn Zannotti of the OSU Foundation at 918-594-8438 or gzannotti@osugiving.com.