Major Gifts Honor University of Mississippi Alumna Who Never Quit

Endowments pass on Trenia Reynolds’ determination and passions

by Bill Dabney

The two-word phrase “Never Quit” has motivated Ole Miss Rebels for more than three decades, and it became an oft-repeated mantra for a University of Mississippi alumna who struggled to recover from a life-changing crash.

In 2015, Trenia Reynolds was rendered quadriplegic after being run off the road by an 18-wheeler. In critical condition, the Clinton resident envisioned the late Rebel football player Chucky Mullins encouraging her to never quit fighting to survive.

Trenia Reynolds died in 2023, but her husband, Bruce Reynolds, and daughter, Moni Reynolds Simpson, both of Oxford, hope to pass on her determination. With gifts totaling $750,000, they have created the Trenia Amelia Fulton Reynolds Council Scholarship Endowment under the umbrella of the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy and the Trenia Amelia Reynolds “Never Quit” Student Athlete Relief Endowment.

“Trenia considered speech pathology her ministry,” Bruce Reynolds said. “She would tell her coworkers to treat the work not just as a calling but as a ministry, so the Women’s Council gift is a four-year scholarship designated specifically for speech pathology students.”

Trenia Reynolds graduated from Ole Miss with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1975, followed by a master’s degree in speech pathology in 1978. She accepted a position as the sole speech and hearing therapist for Clinton Public School District. Over her four decades in the profession, she molded hundreds of speech- and hearing-impaired children into confident students who have become successful professionals in their chosen careers.

“On behalf of the Ole Miss Women’s Council, we greatly appreciate Bruce and Moni’s desire to honor Trenia’s life by making a gift that will be transformative in the lives of our students,” said Suzanne Helveston, the council’s program director. “Our council scholars not only receive financial assistance, but they also are mentored by our established cadre of highly successful professionals – similar to how Trenia helped shape the lives of her students.”

In one of many rewarding moments, the UM alumna accompanied a student to Memphis after paving the way for him to receive a cochlear implant. She was then present to see the child hear for the first time, thus changing the trajectory of his life.

Reynolds was also passionate about Ole Miss sports, her husband said.

“To reflect her passion for the Rebels, we came up with a fund that will be available to any student-athlete who has a negative, life-altering experience,” he said.

In 1987, Trenia Reynolds witnessed the gridiron hit that left Mullins paralyzed and she followed his story closely, saving any articles she read about the injured athlete. She also participated in fundraising drives to support his continued health care. She even attended his funeral and later visited his gravesite.

“Then, boom, same thing: she is Chucky,” Bruce Reynolds said. “The little steel magnolia, 98-pound turbo got relegated to a chair. She forgave the truck driver and just tried so hard. She experienced a great deal of pain but always had that never-quit attitude.”

In a Facebook post, she once wrote, “After my injury, while in ICU, I was aware that Chucky was there with me in a dream, giving me his support and I said to him, ‘If you can do this, I can too.’ I have continued to use his never quit quote to make it through some very dark times.”

Catherine Adkins, the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation’s development assistant for major gifts, expressed gratitude for Reynolds’ gift to student-athletes.

“This family’s endowment will allow Ole Miss athletics to continue to support and develop our student-athletes to their fullest potential to be competitive in life, even after a career-ending injury or other tragic circumstance,” she said. “Bruce and Trenia are longtime members of the Ole Miss family, and we are grateful to Bruce for including Ole Miss athletics in his desire to honor his wife.”

Reynolds recently committed a third gift to the Ole Miss chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in memory of his wife and to cover operational costs for the campus ministry.

“One gift is scholastic; another is for sports and the FCA one has a Christian aspect,” he said. “We feel like that covers Trenia pretty well,” Reynolds said. “We want all of this to honor Trenia and get her story out. She was a special Christian lady who was in some ridiculously bad circumstances, but she just kept on going.”

Bruce Reynolds earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s in urban planning from Ole Miss in 1974 and 1975, respectively. During college, Reynolds interned at the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District in Jackson, where he was later hired, ultimately became director of the Planning and Urban Planning Division and was instrumental in recruiting Nissan to Mississippi, creating 2,500 jobs.

The couple knew each other at Clinton High School and began dating before marrying during college. Together, they enjoyed traveling to Ole Miss games and the many “little latitudes” mentioned in Jimmy Buffet songs, having attended more than 40 of his concerts. The Reynolds’ daughter, Moni, is a third-generation Rebel who graduated from Ole Miss in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She works for Invitation Oxford magazine.

For more of Trenia Reynolds’ story, click here.

To make a gift to the Trenia Amelia Fulton Reynolds Council Scholarship Endowment, click here; to make a gift to the Trenia Amelia Reynolds “Never Quit” Student Athlete Relief Endowment, click here; or mail a check, with the fund’s name noted in the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford MS 38655.

For more information about supporting students through the Ole Miss Women’s Council, click here or contact Suzanne Helveston, program director, at shelveston@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2956.

To make a gift to the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation, visit CHAMPIONS. NOW. or contact Catherine Adkins, development assistant, at catherine@givetoathletics.com or 662-915-7159.

To make a gift to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, click here or contact Jonathan Fulcher, campus minister, at 601-934-4144.