Dawson and Hubbard Family Scholarship

Established to honor the legacy of the Dawson and Hubbard Families who have enjoyed strong connections to EIU through multiple generations having worked or attended Eastern Illinois University.
“Dr. Mary Lou Hubbard remembers the emphasis her mother put on her as a little girl to obtain an education and to be self-sufficient. “She always told me not to depend on a man for change,” Dr. Hubbard fondly recalls. Mary Lou’s mother, Eileen, began college in 1934 through the generosity of an uncle, but she was only able to complete two years before the money ran out.
Eileen later married Robert Hubbard, but the desire to obtain an education as a woman remained important. Eileen spent her life volunteering for her church and community with Girl Scouts, King’s Daughters, hospital auxiliary, Red Cross, YWCA, and school functions.
“My mother was not able to finish her education, but her support and encouragement were the driving force for me to complete my education,” daughter Mary Lou adds.
Eileen Hubbard passed away from leukemia in 1987, and her husband and daughter decided to memorialize her life by creating a scholarship at Eastern Illinois University. With an initial cash gift, the Hubbard family created the Eileen F. Hubbard Scholarship, which is awarded annually to an upper-division undergraduate Family and Consumer Sciences major, the area in which Mary Lou Hubbard teaches. The Hubbards created the application criteria to best reflect Eileen’s values: emphasis on service, leadership, academic success, and financial need. The scholarship endowment fund now supports two scholarships to deserving students. The Hubbards are pleased with the legacy that they have created for Eileen at Eastern and enjoy the students.
“We give to help students,” Mary Lou says. “We want to help others achieve the academic goals that my mother was not able to achieve. It feels good to know that you have made a difference in someone’s life. I know my mother would be pleased.”