Donny Parsons Memorial Scholarship

[SDSUFAN]

There has been very little publicty about this scholarship but at the KJJQ website, there was blurb about the spring game and that those who attended would have an opportunity to contribute to the Donny Parsons scholarship.

To refresh memories, SDSU lost a football player to asthma attack shortly after the team returned from Winona State.

I did not know Donny Parsons personally, but was impressed with Coach Stig and others comments about Donny after he died. Donny was a pre-law major and a very good student. He had a small body for D2/D1AA football, but he made up for that with playing with heart.

I shall never forget the moment of silence in Omaha just prior to the SDSU/UNO football game. Many of the UNO fans in the stands remembered Donny for his outstanding play at Omaha Benson High School, home of the Bunnies. He made quite an impression in Omaha and some may wonder why he chose SDSU over UNO.
Donny had a preception for quality in education and athletics.

I plan to sit down and write a check and mail it to the foundation. If you are looking for a small way to contribute to SDSU Athletics and scholarship funds, this would be one way to do so. I believe the foundation will except gifts as small as a dollar.

I suspect the reason there has been little publicty is that this scholarship may have been a team-mate project.

It takes 10,000 dollars to set up a permanate endowment, so thats the minimum they need to make this scholarship into a permanent legacy.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Donny Parsons Memorial Scholarship

It appears I read too much into the short blurb that was on the KJJQ website about the spring football game.

The scholarship is not being started at SDSU nor is the SDSU Foundation involved.  I had two email exchanges with a Diane Rankien who has a SDSU email address and here is what she told me in the emails

Thank you for your email.  Sorry you were not able to make the spring game. We appreciate your support and agree it is a very worthy project.

Donnie was a sophomore at SDSU.  He was a business law major.  He enrolled at SDSU in the fall of 2002 after a standout career at Benson High School.  While at Benson High School Donnie was a second-team all Metro-Conference performer in football and all-state honorable mention in football and basketball.  He was also a track and field state qualifier in the sprints.

The OEA Foundation is still taking donations for the Donnie Parson’s Memorial Scholarship Fund.  
The address is:  
Attention Linda Richter
OEA Foundation Inc.
4202 South 57th Street
Omaha NE 68117

Not having an understanding of what OEA stood for I sent another email for clerification and got the below reply.

Diane wrote:

"Donnie Parson’s mother Shirdene Davis requested that the memorial scholarship in Donnie’s honor be sent to the OEA Foundation since she lives in Omaha and Donnie went to High School there.  The SDSU Football Team wanted to support her choice.  It is different that SDSU was involved but did not receive the actual scholarship.  Omaha Education Association Foundation


So this will be a scholarship administrated out of Omaha and not SDSU. I will still make a contribution, but I felt it imperative that I clear of the confusion that my first post created.