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Scholarship honors son, family's love of school

Albert Sanderson and pharmacy development officer Raina McClure (left) and former dean Barbara Wells

W

hen Ross Sanderson was around 5 years old, his dad, Albert Sanderson, introduced him to the University of Mississippi on a fall Saturday afternoon, and the youngster received a football from Ole Miss cheerleaders. In the future, selected UM pharmacy students will receive scholarship support from a fund created in tribute to Ross Sanderson's life.

At the age of 19, Sanderson, who attended Warren Central High School in Vicksburg, died in a car accident in 2002. Thinking of his own alma mater and the days on campus he enjoyed with his son, Albert Sanderson, a Nashville pharmacist, has committed $75,000 to an endowed scholarship, honoring his son's life by providing assistance to Ole Miss pharmacy students.

"Ross was so outgoing; people gravitated toward him," Sanderson said. "My son wanted to get the most out of every situation he encountered. He had not enrolled in Ole Miss, but I thought he would eventually end up as a student on the Oxford campus. Ross and I came to a number of football games across the years. He was always sports-minded and a talented competitor himself in karate."

Because Ross Sanderson was so young when he died, his father looked to his own UM degree and career to designate the field of study for the scholarship.

"I felt a career in the health care field would be my contribution to the world," Sanderson said. "I had family friends who were pharmacists, and I admired the service they gave and the relationships they built. A pharmacy career is about helping people."

He said he hopes the Quentin Ross Sanderson Scholarship helps others pursue college degrees and careers in pharmacy and opens doors to other opportunities.

"Attending Ole Miss was such a growing experience," the 1979 graduate said. "I learned so much and met so many people who are still my good friends. Having part of the pharmacy training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson was so interesting, particularly working side by side with future physicians and nurses. It was a collaborative atmosphere."

After graduation, Sanderson joined the Mercy Hospital staff in Warren County. His career included stints with Walgreens and Wal-Mart pharmacies and UMMC's Children's Hospital. He is now associated with K-Mart Pharmacy in Nashville.

He has two other sons: Drew Sanderson of Jackson, Miss., a college student; and Derek Sanderson of Clarksville, Tenn., who works for Dell Inc.

The Quentin Ross Sanderson Scholarship is designed to assist full-time students in the professional pharmacy program with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average. Recipients must be Mississippi residents, with first preference given to students from Jones County, where Albert Sanderson grew up, and second preference given to students from Warren County, where Ross grew up.

Sanderson established the scholarship endowment with a cash gift and will complete the fund through a planned gift. With this endowment, he becomes a member of UM's 1848 Society, which recognizes alumni and friends who fund or plan a deferred gift in support of the university.

Contributions to the Quentin Ross Sanderson Scholarship fund may be made by mailing a check (with the fund noted) to the University of Mississippi Foundation, P.O. Box 249, University, MS 38677, or by visiting www.umfoundation.com/makeagift.

For more information on the School of Pharmacy, visit www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu, or visit us on Facebook.