Mary E. Ridgway, PhD, ’71, ’74, is honoring her dear friend and partner, Paula L. Scott, EdD, through the establishment of an endowed scholarship. The scholarship, which supports TWU Communication Sciences students, will be awarded starting fall 2023.

Scott was a member of the Cherokee Nation and was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She received her bachelor’s from Wichita State University, master’s from Washington University and doctorate in education from the University of North Texas. She served as associate professor in TWU’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, now the Department of Communication Sciences and Oral Health, from 1981-2006. At TWU, she worked to prepare highly qualified, specialized deaf educators.

TWU’s master’s in education of the deaf is the longest-standing program in the state of Texas and available online to students around the country and the world.

In her free time, Scott enjoyed listening to music and singing with the Dallas Women’s Chorus. She also was an avid sailor and camper, and after retiring from Texas Woman’s, she volunteered throughout the Southwest for Heifer International in support of their effort to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.