Southeast Missouri State University^TM

During his formative years, Southeast Missouri State Teachers College had a profound impact on Dr. F. Gregory Dickey. Growing up in Kennett, Mo., he came to Cape Girardeau in 1946 to attend college. As with most students, Dickey remembers certain professors as particularly influential in his education and development. His mentors included J.C. Brandt (Music, 1919–1956), Helen Cleaver (Foreign Language, 1933–1973), and Tom Doherty (History, 1919–1956).

When he graduated in 1951, Dickey never expected to return to Southeast one day and follow in his mentors' footsteps. After graduation, he left Cape Girardeau to pursue his career in psychological counseling. He met Jean Garrett when they were both educators with the public schools in Rolla, Mo., and they were married shortly after he received his doctorate from the University of Missouri. The Dickeys moved to Oklahoma, where he began his college teaching career at Oklahoma State University.

When the opportunity arose for him to return to teach at his alma mater, Dickey could not resist the chance to join Southeast's faculty. In 1965, he began a 23-year career teaching psychological counseling at Southeast. Jean was soon able to join him on the faculty, where she taught Southeast students for 22 years. With the loss of his beloved wife and colleague in 2004, Dickey determined that the best way to remember Jean was to establish an endowed memorial scholarship in her name. Since she had devoted her life to teaching business education students at Southeast, it is fitting that her scholarship promotes the education of these students and future generations.

In addition, Dickey has established a planned gift that will create several more scholarships in his name and in memory of those professors who mentored him. "I believe I have done a unique thing—as both an alumnus and professor emeritus from Southeast—by honoring those professors who came before me," Dickey explains. "Mr. Brandt, Mr. Doherty and Miss Cleaver each had a tremendous impact on me and many other students during their decades of service to Southeast.This bequest is my tribute to them so that their legacies at Southeast live on."