Jackson State University received a $30,000 donation to establish a scholarship in honor of the late Senator Douglas Anderson. The announcement was made during the Senator Douglas Anderson Memorial Highway dedication ceremony by former Hinds County Administrator Anthony Brister as he announced the donation to JSU Acting President Elayne Hayes-Anthony, Ph.D.
“We appreciate this extremely gracious and thoughtful gesture. We want to thank you on behalf of ‘Thee I Love’ Jackson State and the students who will gain so much from this scholarship,” said Hayes-Anthony. “Our students need and want the help and this is something Doug Anderson would really truly enjoy.”
Several members of Anderson’s family, including his wife Josephine Anderson and daughter Jackie Anderson Woods, were present for the unveiling of the Senator Douglas Anderson Memorial Highway sign to be seen on Interstate 220 North. The stretch of interstate beginning at the Highway 49 intersection in Jackson, Mississippi, and extending a mile North will now pay honor to the late senator.
“Working as a legislative liaison for JSU gives me the opportunity to continue my dad’s work with Jackson State. It means so much that students who will follow in his footsteps as educators and public servants will now benefit from the Senator Douglas Anderson Endowment,” Woods stated. “My family would like to thank my godfather Anthony Brister, President Anthony, and the Division of Institutional Advancement for helping make this happen.”
Anderson was a long-time educator and taught as an associate professor of mathematics at JSU from 1965 to 1987. In 1976, he was elected to represent District 27 in the Mississippi State House of representatives. In 1980, Anderson was elected to the Mississippi State Senate where he served on the State Budget, Constitution, Congressional Redistricting, Education, Legislative Reapportionment, Judiciary, and Appropriations committees.
The father of three was appointed by former Governor William Winter to the State Building Commission where he served as the sub-chair for Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, and Mississippi Valley State University. As a legislator, he advocated for HBCUs and helped obtain funding for the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center and other buildings on the JSU campus before joining the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in 1993.
“As a member of the board of supervisors, he mentored me on what being a public servant is all about and the importance of having people who really understood public service,” said Brister. I hope this endowment leads to those kinds of individuals who can grow to be public servants and educators with the same love and zest as Doug Anderson.”
Anderson devoted 36 years of his life to public service and served on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors for 19 years. The former senator passed away in 2013, however, the legacy created by the prolific figure has impacted the lives of countless individuals and his reputation continues to inspire future generations.