Kaye Bryant made a $100,000 gift to the University of Mississippi to establish a scholarship in memory of her late son, Colonel Bobby A. Towery, Jr. (Alpha Upsilon–Mississippi ’79).
An avid runner, Towery, 59, passed away on October 26, 2019, from a heart attack hours after finishing the 8-mile Chucky Mullins Great 38 Race which raised funds to help students with physical disabilities attend the University of Mississippi.
The newly established Colonel Bobby A. Towery Final Mile Scholarship Endowment will provide assistance to senior Army ROTC cadets with financial need, helping them to complete their degrees and receive their commissions.
Towery was commissioned as a U.S. Army Armor second lieutenant in 1983 from the University of Mississippi and was a distinguished military graduate. He went on to become a 30-year veteran with a decorated career.
Bobby was commissioned as a US Army Armor 2LT in 1983 from the University of Mississippi Army ROTC. He served in many leadership and command positions over his 30 years of service to include commanding two Armor Companies at Fort Polk, LA. Additionally, he commanded the 3rd Forward Support Battalion 3rd Infantry Division into Iraq in 2003, was the Senior Logistics officer for the 82nd Airborne Division, and commanded the 61st Ordnance Brigade in Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD before becoming the 49th Deputy Commandant of the US Army War College in Carlisle, PA.
Bobby’s numerous awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with V device for valor and 3 bronze oak clusters, Army Achievement Medal with bronze oak cluster, Presidential Unit Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 stars, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas service ribbon, Military Outstanding Service Medal, Combat Action Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge (Jumpmaster), Canadian Jump Wings as well as the Mississippi Magnolia Cross. Bobby is a 2006 inductee to the Ole Miss Army ROTC Hall of Fame.
“He was much more than an ROTC instructor to this little kid from North Little Rock, Arkansas, who needed to be much more than just another number if I were ever going to make it out of Ole Miss,” Retired Lt. Col. Dameion Logan said. “Not only was I a cadet but also a student-athlete. Balancing multiple extracurricular programs while maintaining the responsibility of academics was not an easy task.”
To make a gift to the Bobby A. Towery Final Mile Scholarship Endowment, visit https://nowandever.olemiss.edu.
