The University of Central Arkansas Foundation recently recognized establishment of the Joe and Velma Stell Scholarship Fund to assist UCA students working in the Physical Plant.
The scholarship was endowed at the $25,000 level by Danny and Annie Stell, a son and daughter-in-law of the late couple, and will be awarded to qualifying students.
During the reception, family and friends saw a plaque unveiled in honor of the endowment. The plaque will take permanent residence on the Donor Wall of Honor in McCastlain Hall.
Joe Stell supported the family for nearly 15 years during the 1950s and ‘60s by working in the UCA Physical Plant as a foreman on the grounds supervising student employees who maintained the campus.
“He had such admiration for those students, that I felt like the student employees should be included in his honor,” Danny Stell said.
Velma Stell was a stay-at-home mother who raised nine children.
“She looked after all of us and our needs and provided the immediate comfort and also the discipline that we needed in the home,” Danny Stell continued.
Danny Stell, the next-to-youngest child, and his wife established the scholarship as a way of honoring his parents for all they did for him and his siblings.
“I think my parents would have been surprised and felt like what they did was nothing exceptional,” he said. “They expected everyone to do the right thing. I think they would be happy that this endowment will enable a student who is working in the Physical Plant to receive extra assistance to help them earn their education.” – Jennifer Boyett
UCA President Allen C. Meadors said while some may think that working in the UCA Physical Plant is just a job, he often finds that it’s those employees who have the strongest sense of pride and dedication to this university.
“Establishing a scholarship in Joe and Velma Stell’s honor to provide financial assistance to students working in the Physical Plant is truly a fitting way to continue their legacy and I think they would be proud of their children for honoring them,” he said.
For more information or to make a contribution to the Joe and Velma Stell Scholarship Fund, contact the UCA Foundation at (501)450-5288.
