Inaugural Ainsworth scholarships presented

Sarah (left) and Jim Ainsworth of Hermando meet the first recipients of the scholarship they created in their names: Laura Luther of Hattiesburg (second from left) and Katie Sims of Athens, Ala.

he Jim and Sarah Ainsworth Leadership Award Fund has been created to provide scholarship assistance to deserving students in the School of Pharmacy.

Recipients of the scholarship, which is funded by the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation, must be in the third or fourth year of the professional pharmacy program and have demonstrated leadership throughout their careers as Ole Miss students.

Inaugural recipients of the Ainsworth awards—Laura C. Luther of Hattiesburg and Katie Sims of Athens, Ala.—were announced during an assembly for pharmacy students last fall.

Both recipients completed their pre-pharmacy course work at UM and are now in the midst of their professional program. During their six years at Ole Miss, both students have been heavily involved in pharmacy student government, leadership and professional organizations. Both also were elected by their peers to serve as president of their pharmacy classes and as president of the Pharmacy Student Body.

Last year, Sims entered a business plan competition sponsored by the UM School of Business Administration and took second place. Luther, on the other hand, spent last summer in Africa, working with AIDS patients.

"We are honored to name Katie and Laura the first recipients of the Ainsworth Leadership Award," said Marvin Wilson, the pharmacy school's associate dean for student and academic affairs.

Jim and Sarah Ainsworth of Hernando are both UM alumni. He received his Bachelor of Science in pharmacy in 1967 and retired recently as a vice president for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. based in Memphis. She received her Bachelor of Arts in chemistry in 1965 and her master's degree in education in 1966. She recently retired as an associate professor at the Baptist College of Health Sciences.

During the School of Pharmacy's "Promises to Keep" campaign, which ended June 30, the Ainsworths gave $50,000, which was applied to construction of the School of Pharmacy's new pharmacy building at UMMC.

"We wanted to support the university because it laid the foundation for outstanding professional and personal careers," Jim Ainsworth said. A large conference room in the new building is being named for the Ainsworths to honor that gift.

During the assembly last fall, he told students that, with an Ole Miss pharmacy degree, "You don't have to take 'second chair' to anyone in the country."

The Jim and Sarah Ainsworth Leadership Award Fund is open to gifts from other individuals or organizations. To contribute, contact Raina McClure at 800-340-9542 or raina@umfoundation.com.