Beth Swalm, a longtime friend and benefactor of Mississippi State University, died on December 2, 2021 in New Ulm, Texas at the age of 84.

Beth and her husband of 29 years, Dave, were active philanthropists through their non-profit foundation and made generous private contributions to MSU, including the lead gift for the Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.

Beth was a longtime president of the Swalm Foundation, which provided millions in financial support to charitable organizations, focusing primarily on helping the homeless, hungry, and abused, as well as disadvantaged youth.

In her professional career, Beth worked for Sinclair and Arco Chemical Company. She was valedictorian of her graduating class at Katy High School in Texas and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston. She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Columbus, Texas.

The Swalms’ generous contributions to MSU supported scholarships for hundreds of students, faculty development, lab and research equipment, as well as the 100,000-square-foot chemical engineering building on the Drill Field that bears the Swalm name.

The couple also provided a $5 million scholarship endowment for students from Brookhaven to come to MSU to pursue technical fields. They also provided $3 million for African American students to pursue MSU graduate degrees in engineering with a preference for students from Jackson State University.