Planned gift honors alumnus, helps students seeking degrees
A gift to the University of Mississippi that the late Maj. James Nathaniel Stearns Jr. included in his estate plans will benefit Ole Miss students seeking law degrees.
Half of the 1969 UM law graduate’s $100,000 gift establishes the James Nathaniel Stearns Jr. Law Scholarship Endowment, while the remainder supports the School of Law Dean’s Fund, an unrestricted account benefiting the school at the dean’s discretion.
Stearns, of Melbourne, Florida, died in November 2022. He earned his Juris Doctor from Ole Miss in 1969 and was retired from the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
“We are extremely grateful for the visionary support of alumni like Maj. Stearns,” said Fred Slabach, dean of the law school. “His provision of a scholarship will financially support students who might not otherwise be able to obtain a law degree.
“Additionally, we greatly appreciate his discretionary gift, which enables us to provide support to law school programs and areas that need it most.”
Recipients of the Stearns Scholarship will be full-time law students in good academic standing.
“Private gifts to the Ole Miss law school are crucial to its ongoing mission to train up the lawyers of tomorrow,” said Suzette Matthews, executive director for development for the school. “A planned gift such as this establishes an honorable legacy, affirming the donor’s desire to continue to support the school after his lifetime.”
The James Nathaniel Stearns Jr. Law Scholarship 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 by giving online at https://give.olemiss.edu.
By Bill Dabney
