Annoucing the Varsity Club Scholarship

Phillips University Legacy Foundation is pleased to announce that Becky (Wooten) (’74) and Richard (’74) Books have established the Varsity Club Scholarship. It is a fully funded permanent endowment created to support the ongoing mission and legacy of Phillips University. They established this endowed fund in honor of the strong ties that the Varsity Social Service Club provided in their undergraduate lives at Phillips and those bonds that continue to this day. PULF is grateful to Richard and Becky for their vision and generosity, and continuing support of our mission, both financially and through their volunteer leadership.

The Books are strong advocates for higher education and have been longtime supporters of PULF. Wanting to support PULF beyond the annual fundraising campaigns, Becky and Richard hope to inspire other Phillips University Alumni to create their own named endowment funds.

Richard and Becky shared why they wanted to create the Varsity Club Scholarship:

“Varsity was a large part of our lives while at Phillips. The bonds that we formed through Varsity have remained strong over the years. This scholarship is a way for us to honor how special these relationships have been to us. It’s also a way to pass the Varsity traditions and values on to a new generation.

This is a way for us to help out those who are now sending their children to college. It is our hope that this endowed scholarship will lessen the financial burden that so many families face when sending their child or children to private undergraduate institutions that remind us of Phillips.

With our gift, we hope to encourage others to support the mission of PULF.

An excellent college education is the greatest gift we can give future generations. That is why we believe in supporting the Phillips University Legacy Foundation.”

Matthew Gillett is the first recipient of the Varsity Club Scholarship. He is the son of Mark (’87) and Julia (’87) Jordan Gillett. Just like Richard and Becky, Mark is a proud member of Varsity.

When learning that his son was the first recipient, Mark commented that “I am honored that the Books will continue the legacy of the Varsity Club. As a father, you dream that your kid would go into the same club as you. Because of this scholarship, I can proudly say that Matthew is a ‘Varsity man.’”

Matthew shared:

“I am honored to receive the Varsity Club Scholarship! My father was a member of the Varsity Club, and I am honored to carry on the legacy of his club. I would like to thank the Books for their generous contribution to myself and Phillips University Legacy Foundation as a whole. This scholarship will help me greatly as I continue my studies at the University of Lynchburg as I study political science.”

For more information about creating a named endowment or making a planned gift, please contact J. Gottman at (580) 237-4433 or giving@pulf.org.