Unknown Millionaire Offers Scholarships For Oklahoma Students

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- You're about to meet a millionaire that no one knew - even though you'll recognize his famous name.

He's created a scholarship just for Oklahomans - so they can benefit from his hard work and responsibility - and get an education.

Bob Boyd says this is the number one question he's asked.

"This kind of sounds too good to be true, I've never heard of you before, all of a sudden some person that nobody has ever heard about, just gives money to a scholarship foundation for an award of up to $10,000?" said Bob Boyd of the Jimmie L. Dean Foundation.

And maybe that's why he's got a ready answer. This is Jimmie L Dean - not the sausage king - the king of saving money.

"He never made six figures, didn't even make close to six figures in salary, never got there, but he did it through being frugal with his money," Boyd said.

Boyd's uncle was raised in a family of modest means - in Washington County - and graduated from Bartlesville High. He worked a regular job at Phillips Petroleum for 33 years - and died with more than $2 million in the bank.

 His dying wish was for his nephew to start a college scholarship fund for Oklahoma students.

"And he really believed if you had Oklahoma kids who went to an Oklahoma school, they would stay here, and that was his goal," Boyd said. "From his humble beginnings to do what he wanted, he thought that was the best way to bring people who had Oklahoma roots and Oklahoma values, to provide them with a quality education, at least some assistance and they would stay here and that was his way of building the state for generations to come."

Boyd says the foundation hopes to provide just over $100,000 in scholarships this year - and to build up the foundation - to help more students.

"To basically achieve those ideals of Oklahoma students, the Oklahoma kids getting an education in Oklahoma where it's all about the Oklahoma values," Boyd said.

There's a deadline to apply for the scholarships - It's the end of this month. So far only 1,200 students have applied.

View Jimmie L. Dean Scholarship application.