Law Alumnus Offers Gift of Compassion

The Texas resident has made a significant gift to the University of Mississippi School of Law to establish the L. Darnell Weeden Good Samaritan Scholarship in Law Endowment, which will provide need‑based emergency assistance to students facing unforeseen hardships during the academic year.

"If students are worried about their economic situation associated with an emergency, they may not be able to focus on their studies, so some financial assistance will help alleviate that stress," said Weeden, who earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science from Ole Miss in 1972 and his Juris Doctor from its law school in 1975.

He is a professor who teaches torts and constitutional law at Texas Southern Thurgood School of Law, where he finds joy in helping students sharpen their critical thinking and legal analysis skills.

Several years ago, he established the L. Darnell Weeden Endowed Scholarship for law students attending Thurgood Marshall.

"I enjoy working at Thurgood Marshall, and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law has been good to me," he said. "I think endowed scholarships are useful tools to support student learning.

"Many students took out loans to go to undergrad and more loans to go to law school. When something unforeseen happens, they don't need the burden of another loan, even a small one. Students can get stretched economically; I just want my gift to encourage them to stay focused."

Frederick G. Slabach, UM law dean, expressed appreciation for the endowment, noting how often students face financial disruption.

"It's not uncommon for a number of our students to face financial hardships for one reason or another during the academic year," he said. "I know Professor Weeden has seen these situations firsthand many times in his career, and his compassion for helping students is most admirable.

"He truly embodies the spirit of a good Samaritan."

Weeden's empathy is rooted in his own experiences. Raised in Tunica, he became the first African American student to graduate in journalism from Ole Miss.

"I was the only Black in probably 95% or more of my classes," he recalled. "They judged me on merit. It really became a performance-based determination. If you performed, they respected it."

After a brief stint as a journalist at the Greenville Delta-Democrat Times, Weeden returned to Ole Miss to pursue law, believing it was his true calling. His early legal career included private practice in Clarksdale and working for Legal Services in Coahoma County.

He transitioned into academia, holding positions at North Carolina Central University, Southern University and Antioch College of Law – now the University of the District of Columbia's Clark School of Law – where he completed a fellowship in its legal clinic. At the end of his two-year clinical fellowship at Antioch, Weeden earned a master's degree in 1979.

Weeden credits UM for shaping his professional life.

"I am very glad I went to Ole Miss," he said. "I enjoy Thurgood Marshall and it's been good to me, but Ole Miss is home. It's where I started. But for Ole Miss, I might not be a lawyer and be able to have the opportunity for employment."

The L. Darnell Weeden Good Samaritan Scholarship in Law Endowment is open to support from businesses and individuals. Gifts can be made by sending a check, with the fund's name noted on the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or give online here.

To support the law school, contact Greg Carter, the school's associate director of development, at gjcarter@olemiss.edu or 662-915-1849.

Top: L. Darnell Weeden, a UM alumnus and professor at the Texas Southern Thurgood School of Law, has established a scholarship to help Ole Miss law students facing unforeseen hardships. Photo by Tim Ivy/School of Journalism