Lillian Dees and Darla Wood Endowed Scholarship in Sociology (SD0043)

The Lillian Dees and Darla Wood Endowed Scholarship: Lillian Dees first came to Texas State University in 1962 as an administrative assistant, and retired in 2020 as an alumnus, former director of the LBJ Student Center, and senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology. Mrs. Dees’ only daughter, Darla Wood, was a student at Southwest Texas State University in 1984 when she became a quadriplegic as a result of an automobile accident. Ms. Wood did not let her paralysis keep her from living life to the fullest. Within months of her accident, she returned to school to complete her BBA in 1988, married in 1989, and worked steadily for almost 20 years before her death in 2007 at the age of 42. In appreciation of Mrs. Dees more than 57 years of service and leadership in the Department of Sociology, this scholarship is established in her honor, and to memorialize Ms. Wood.

To compete for this scholarship, a student must meet the following criteria, the recipient must:

• Be enrolled full time as an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a degree with the Department of Sociology
• Have demonstrated financial need
• Have a GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Preference will be given to candidates with a documented disability with the Office of Disability Services

Applicant will write a brief essay (500 words or less), which explains the applicant’s suitability for the award. Include academic accomplishments, financial need, documented disability with the Office of Disability Services. Provide one letter of recommendation from a sociology faculty member.

If you have any questions about this scholarship, please contact the Sociology department at sociology@txstate.edu.