Torri Simpson of Palestine has been announced as the first recipient of the East Arkansas Community College Foundation’s Jimmy and Patsy Burns Memorial Scholarship.

The Jimmy and Patsy Burns Memorial Scholarship was established to assist entering EACC students who graduated from Palestine-Wheatley High School. The scholarship is presented to a full-time student (at least 12 hours per semester) who is a graduate from Palestine-Wheatley High School.  The student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on all coursework.

Simpson graduated from Palestine-Wheatley High School in the graduating class of 2017.  While in high school, she was active in sports, a member of the National Honors Society, a member of the Delta Beta Sigma sorority where she volunteered for numerous philanthropic and community service programs and events, and completed almost 30 hours of college credit classes.  She plans to complete her basic courses at EACC before transferring to Arkansas State University where she intends to obtain a degree in the Physical Therapy Assistant program.  “Thank you so much to the Burns family for this scholarship,” said Simpson.  “This will help me to achieve my academic goals, and I am very thankful,” she added. 

The family of Jimmy and Patsy Burns created the memorial scholarship to honor their memory and show support for the Palestine-Wheatley High School graduates continuing into post-secondary education at EACC.  Jimmy Burns, who lived his entire life in Palestine, was a farmer and member of the Arkansas National Guard.  His wife Patsy worked for over twenty-five years in the cafeteria for the Palestine-Wheatley School District.  Their children and grandchildren established the scholarship to honor their family’s love of education and growth of the Palestine-Wheatley School District. 

The EACC Foundation’s mission is to generate support and advocacy for East Arkansas Community College in the communities it serves.

Emily Burns, granddaughter of Jimmy and Patsy Burns presents scholarship to Torri Simpson