Scholarship Pays Tribute to Alumna's Life

The Holly Lea Blades Memorial Scholarship Endowment was established by her parents, Dr. Holland C. "Neal" Blades and Karen Blades, of McKinney, Texas, with a gift to assist banking and finance majors. Holly Blades, their only child, died in fall 2023.

"We felt the best way we could leave a lasting memory and honor our daughter and her love for financial business was to establish a scholarship to support other students in the banking and finance field," Karen Blades said.

Their daughter graduated from Ole Miss with an undergraduate degree in marketing and management in 1996 and an MBA in finance in 1997. She began her career in securities trading before moving into regulatory compliance. Ultimately, she became the head of financial crimes compliance for Texas Capital Bank System.

"Holly took pride in her career and found great satisfaction in being both a highly regarded asset to the business and a strong coach and mentor to her direct reports," Karen Blades said. "Aside from her work functions, Holly shared her passion for being an anti-financial crime professional by serving on the board of the North Texas Chapter of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists."

Holly Blades grew up around university campuses as her dad taught marketing and finance on the college level for 43 years and her mother spent more than two decades in the accounting field specializing in tax. The couple always encouraged higher education.

While a high school sophomore, Holly and her mom took a college trip to her father's alma mater, Millsaps College in Jackson. At the time, the Blades family's friend, Randy Boxx, then dean of the UM School of Business Administration, insisted that Holly visit Ole Miss.

That visit engrained the university in her soul. She loved the school and decided right then that she wanted to be an Ole Miss student.

After graduating, Holly Blades moved to Dallas with some of her Zeta Tau Alpha sorority sisters to begin their careers.

"It is our desire to help other young adults – especially women like Holly and her friends – to achieve success in business communities around the nation," her mother said. "Hopefully, this scholarship will make that goal a little less burdensome financially."

Ken Cyree, dean of the business school, expressed gratitude to the family for their vision.

"We thank Neal and Karen Blades for giving our students a chance to pursue their dreams in their daughter's name," he said. "Holly's legacy will be expanded through this thoughtful and lasting gift. We are proud of Holly's achievements and believe these scholarships will help produce other distinguished financial professionals."

As a college student, Holly Blades was a violinist with the LOU Symphony Orchestra and influenced her daughter's interest in also becoming a violinist. She is survived by her husband of 23 years, Curtis Hasty, and daughter, Lillie, an Ole Miss sophomore.

To make a gift to the Holly Lea Blades Memorial Scholarship, send a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655; or give online here. To learn more about supporting scholarships at Ole Miss, contact Brett Barefoot, executive director of central development, at bmbarefo@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2711.

Top: A new scholarship established in honor of the late Holly Blades will support students in the School of Business Administration. The business school alumna was the head of financial crimes compliance for the Texas Capital Bank System. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services