The Allen and Jeannette Guillory Thomason Foundation has contributed $250,000 to Baton Rouge Community College to create endowed scholarships in Construction and Nursing & Allied Health at BRCC.
The Allen and Jeannette Guillory Thomason Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Construction Crafts will support full-time BRCC students in 4- or 5-star construction craft fields within the Construction Management Department. The Allen and Jeannette Guillory Thomason Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Nursing & Allied Health will support full-time BRCC students in the Nursing & Allied Health fields.
To be eligible for the scholarships, students must have completed 24 or more credit hours, maintained a 2.0 grade-point average or higher, and be able to demonstrate financial need. For more information or to apply for the scholarships, students should visit the BRCC Foundation’s Grants and Scholarships web page.
Jeannette Guillory Thomason, a Louisiana native who hails from Erwinville and now resides in Watson, presented the scholarship funds to BRCC Chancellor Willie E. Smith Sr., on Tuesday, July 15, at the Governors Building on BRCC’s Mid City Campus.
"We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Thomason for this donation to support our students. BRCC is committed to preparing students for high-demand careers in construction and healthcare to fill the regional workforce needs locally and across Louisiana. The funding from the Thomason Foundation will help students achieve their goals and helps BRCC maintain our pledge to offer high-quality, affordable education and training to residents of the Capital Region."
The Allen and Jeannette Guillory Thomason Foundation honors the memory of Thomason’s late husband, Herbert “Allen” Thomason, who was a successful entrepreneur and U.S. Army Korean War veteran. Together, the Thomasons co-founded and managed multiple businesses, including DSLD Homes, focusing on hard work and community outreach and support. Their foundation has made philanthropic donations to various educational institutions across Louisiana, particularly in the areas of construction, nursing and health care, and special needs and disability education.
"These scholarships have profound meaning to me since neither my late husband nor myself were able to attend college when we were younger. I hope that by establishing these scholarships, I am able to honor my late husband and the life and many businesses we built together, and that these scholarships can make an outstanding impact in society by creating future leaders in our communities."
The Thomasons’ many other business ventures included highway and heavy construction, residential real estate construction, land development, engineering firms, auto dealerships, crop dusting and spraying, farming, real estate investment and more.
More information on BRCC’s Construction Management Department and Nursing & Allied Health Program is available online. To learn more about gift opportunities to advance education and training for BRCC students, visit the BRCC Foundation website.
