Nichols Family Establishes Bessie Dobbs Scholarship at MSCC

Dr. Larry Nichols and his wife Trisha have established a Mid-South Community College scholarship in memory of a grandmother who positively impacted his life in numerous ways.

The Bessie Dobbs Memorial Scholarship provides funding for full-time students with demonstrated financial need. The fund is administered by the Mid-South Community College Foundation.

“My grandmother was a really influential woman in my life and gave me a lot of direction, self-confidence, and self-esteem,” Dr. Nichols said. “She also taught me people skills and good basic core values in life. She was really a Christian-principled person.”

“We always lived close to my grandparents, and they played an important role in raising my sister and me. My grandmother and grandfather had many positive influences on us. They emphasized faith, character, ethics, morality and responsibility and taught us that family is important and hard work is rewarded.”

Bessie (Holder) Dobbs devoted 41 years to the teaching profession, and she encouraged many to pursue higher education.

“She played a big role in influencing me to become educated,” Dr. Nichols said. “She always stressed the importance of obtaining a good education as well as the importance of giving back.”

“My wife and I have seen and experienced what a positive influence Mid-South Community College has had on peoples’ lives, and you have to give back to that, promulgate that. The College offers a wonderful opportunity for people to enhance their education, and we hope this scholarship helps people take advantage of what’s available.”

Dobbs started teaching in 1924 at the age of 18 and taught at the Pugh, Arbor Grove, Brown, Bramlett, Williams, and Hoxie schools before retiring in 1972. She married Marvin Dobbs in 1932 and earned her teacher’s license (not previously required) in 1933.

When she wasn’t teaching, she was helping to raise her five daughters – Rhemona (Kay), Jean (Fix), Shirley (Lowe), Mary Lou (Shockley), and Patricia (Nichols). She also helped with the family sharecropping efforts.

Bessie Dobbs passed away June 29, 2000, at the age of 93.

In addition to educational encouragement from his grandparents, Nichols received more of the same from his parents. His mother taught school for 30 years and his father ran a business.

“They always promoted and preached the importance of a good education,” he said.

Nichols took the encouragement to heart and spent four years at Arkansas State University before enrolling at Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Ga. The Hoxie High School graduate earned a doctorate in chiropractic in 1990. He met Trisha at a Bible study in his last year at the college and married soon thereafter.

Nichols worked in Atlanta for two years before moving to Crittenden County to establish a practice in Arkansas.

“We started the practice from the ground up, and it grew very quickly,” he said. Nichols built a new facility six years ago, and Crittenden County Chiropractic Clinic in Marion now employs four full-time staff. The clinic provides care for a wide variety of musculoskeletal injuries.

The Nichols’ family includes two children, Alex and Sydney. Alex has taken several classes at MSCC and will have more than 30 hours of college credits when he graduates from high school. “He loves it,” Nichols said. “It’s been a wonderful experience for him.”

In addition to his profession and church work, Nichols is a member of the MSCC Foundation Board.
Serving on the Board “has been a wonderful experience,” he said. “The college is a pivotal structure of this community. It’s changing and influencing peoples’ lives in a very positive manner. The short-term and long-term goals are just phenomenal.”

To contribute to the Bessie Dobbs Memorial Scholarship or to establish a new one, please contact Patti Coleman, MSCC Director of Advancement, at (870) 733-6764 or pdcoleman@midsouthcc.edu.
The Mid-South Community College Foundation, which administers more than 75 scholarships, also offers direct on-line giving through the College’s website, www.midsouthcc.edu (click on the Foundation graphic on the home page or go to MSCC Portal, MSCC Foundation, and Give Now).
The MSCC Foundation, Inc. is an independent charitable organization created to raise and oversee funds donated to MSCC in support of the college’s efforts to meet the needs of Crittenden County. It operates under a tax exempt 501(c)(3) status.