Martin

By reaching the $500,000 milestone in the 1998-99 Patrons of Excellence program, the university became eligible for an additional $500,000 through the Martin Challenge for Patrons of Excellence Scholarships issued last fall by Barbara and Bobby Martin of Ripley.

The longtime university supporters offered to match individual $1,000 Patrons of Excellence-level gifts to the general scholarship fund, up to $500,000. The couple's personal contributions will go to the Bobby and Barbara Martin Scholarship Fund.

Patrons gifts eligible for the Martin Challenge included contributions to general university or college annual scholarships.

Bobby Martin, chairman of the board and president of The Peoples Bank, is a 1956 Mississippi State agronomy graduate and past president of the Mississippi State University Foundation.

The Walnut native and his wife are members of the university's Stephen D. Lee Society, which recognizes lifetime giving of $500,000 or more to the university.