The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Local News

June 15, 2009

<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0>Woman bequeaths $396,000 to NEO for scholarships

MIAMI, Okla. -- A late Kansas woman has left $396,000 to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; College to provide scholarships for students from Craig County, Okla.

In her estate, Treva McColey, 97, of Bartlett, Kan., requested that her bequeathment be used to fund the scholarships. McColey died in October 2007.

McColey graduated from Edna, Kan. High School then taught school in Oklahoma for one year before assuming the operation of her parents’ ranch in Bartlett.

Her gift is one of the largest donations the college has ever received.

“We at NEO feel incredibly fortunate that Miss McColey recognized the importance of higher learning and selected NEO to be the recipient of such a generous gift,” said President Jeffrey Hale in a statement. “Her donation will enable many Craig County students to continue their education for years to come.”

Martha Testerman, McColey’s neighbor and friend, described her as an independent woman who devoted herself to working her cattle ranch.

“She owned a lot of land in Oklahoma and knew a lot of people in Craig County,” Testerman said about McColey’s bequest to NEO. “She was pretty high on education.”

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