The Marshall University Foundation Inc. has established two new scholarships in honor of the support of Marshall University and MU athletics generated by Marshall alums W.B. “Bart” Andrews and his wife, Doris Andrews.
The W.B. “Bart” and Doris Andrews Scholarship for the College of Business is an endowed award that will go to a recipient from a county in which Bart Andrews did business. The recipient will be a full-time undergraduate student majoring in business management in the College of Business. Andrews was past president, general manager and part-owner of Danco Inc., a lumber and building materials company which operated in Huntington from 1961 to 1992.
The scholarship recipient must be a resident of a county in southern West Virginia (Cabell, Lincoln, Wayne, Putnam, Mason, Fayette, Kanawha, Raleigh, Nicholas, Logan, Mingo, Jackson or Clay); or, one of the Kentucky or Ohio counties that border West Virginia (Gallia, Lawrence, Meigs or Scioto in Ohio; Carter, Greenup or Lawrence in Kentucky).
The other new scholarship funded by the Andrews is the W.B. “Bart” and Doris Andrews Scholarship for the School of Pharmacy, an expendable scholarship they will fund for five years.
The donors anticipate contributing a minimum of $3,000 a year for five years to fund the award.
“In addition to being two of the most gracious and caring people I have met, Bart and Doris Andrews are truly ‘make a difference’ people,” said Dr. Kevin Yingling, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “Their passion for their university and their community is exemplified by their generous support of students and student athletes through their numerous scholarships and programs. Their legacy is significant and clear. Supporting young women and men in their pursuit of their dreams through higher education will change our communities and our world. The Andrews are doing this every day.”
With these latest donations, Bart and Doris Andrews will join the Pathway of Prominence giving society.
“Bart and Doris are a true son and daughter of Marshall,” said Dr. Ron Area, CEO of the MU Foundation. “Their philanthropy to Marshall University goes back decades. Their giving has impacted every facet of the university. They truly give from their heart and soul and we are so thankful for their involvement and support.”
One of the Andrews’ favorite organizations to support has been the women’s basketball program. In fact, the university’s basketball office suite is named the Andrews Athletic Office Suite after the couple.
“We just like the game. It’s more of a pure team game with the women than it is with the men,” Bart Andrews said, explaining why they love women’s basketball. “We’ve been following women’s basketball ever since Judy Southard coached the team (throughout the 1980s).”
The first person to receive the W.B. “Bart” Andrews Scholarship for the College of Business is Ellen Castro, a 22-year-old freshman from Lesage in Cabell County. She made the dean’s list the first semester, despite working at a local restaurant to help make ends meet.
Including Castro, three recipients of scholarships funded by Bart and Doris Andrews currently are on the Huntington campus. The other two are Chukwuka Ezeigbo, a junior on the basketball team, a native of Trenton, N.J., and a pre-med major; and Emily Pritchard of Beckley, who is in the College of Arts and Media and also is a junior.
In addition to several past named gifts, in the past year the Andrews have made financial donations to:
- Women’s basketball
- The Thunder Club
- The W.B. “Bart” and Doris Andrews Fine Arts Scholarship in the College of Arts and Media
- The Vision Campaign
- The School of Medicine
- The H.E.L.P. Program
- The School of Art and Design Visual Arts Center
- The Global Horizons Travel Abroad Fund
Bart Andrews was inducted into Marshall’s College of Business Hall of Fame in 1999. A Huntington native, he majored in business management and received a B.S. degree from Marshall in 1958. He completed the ROTC training program and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the US Army, going through officers’ basic training at Ft. Sill, Okla., and Ft. Knox, Ky.
College of Business Dean Dr. Haiyang Chen thanked the Andrews for their donations to the college.
“The W.B. ‘Bart’ and Doris Andrews Scholarship for the College of Business is the first donation to the college since I came to Marshall last July,” Chen said. “I can’t find words to express our gratitude for him, but I can assure you that we will work very hard to build the college and the university into a much better place for him and the community. Again, thank you, Doris and Bart, for your generous gift for future College of Business students at Marshall.”
Bart Andrews has been active in many organizations for many years. He held offices and was active in the Tri-State Homebuilders Association, the West Virginia Builders Supply Association, the Tri-State Lumber Dealers Association, and the Tri-State Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He has also served on the boards of WPBY public television, Old National Bank, Big Green Foundation and Marshall University Foundation. He holds a life membership in the MU Alumni Association and is a member of the College of Business Sentry Buffalo Society.
Both Bart and Doris Andrews have been members of the Huntington Museum of Art for many years. She is a long-time volunteer at the museum and currently serves on the museum board.
