Longtime Howard Payne University employees Dr. Robert and Mrs. Cheryl Mangrum have chosen to give back to the university they love by using proceeds from Dr. Mangrum’s recent history book to create an endowed scholarship in the couple’s name. In 2015, Dr. Mangrum published an account of HPU’s history titled For Howard Payne My All: 125 Years of Christian Higher Education and Service, 1889-2015.
As the title suggests, the electronic book, encyclopedic in nature, chronicles the first 125 years of the university’s history since its founding in 1889. Proceeds from the book will continue to grow the scholarship endowment.
Dr. Mangrum serves as university historian as well as professor of history and government while Cheryl Mangrum serves as associate director of admission.
“I just finished 36 years at HPU and Cheryl finished her 35th year,” he said. “We’ve always talked about creating a scholarship at some point in time.”Once he finalized the book, which took 17 years to complete, the couple felt the time was right. The Dr. Robert G. and Mrs. Cheryl Mangrum Endowed Scholarship will benefit students who are either history majors, involved in the band or band fraternity/sorority, or residents of Taylor County or Dallas County.
During his tenure with the university, Dr. Mangrum has served in numerous capacities on campus, including 30 years as a sponsor of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc., four years as faculty sponsor of Student Government, and 13 years as director of HPU’s Guy D. Newman Honors Academy (then the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom). Additionally, he served one year as associate dean of the School of Humanities and 29 years as chair of the Department of History. He has served on numerous university committees including three self-study committees for reaccreditation.
He has published numerous book reviews in professional journals and served as contributor to The Vietnam War: An Encyclopedia and as a referee for the Journal of Military History. He is currently in his sixth term as mayor of the City of Early.
Cheryl Mangrum, who graduated from HPU in 1991, has been employed in the area of admission and recruiting since 1981. Like her husband, she is active with the Yellow Jacket Band and its honorary fraternity/sorority. She has been named an honorary band alumna and honorary member of both Tau Beta Sigma, National Honorary Band Sorority Inc., and Kappa Kappa Psi. She was selected as HPU’s Outstanding Staff Member for the 1999-2000 academic year.
For Howard Payne My All is available for $30 on DVD or USB Flash Drive from the HPU Stinger Store at www.hputx.edu/store. It is also available for purchase at Willie’s T’s in Brownwood.
For more information about the scholarship, contact HPU’s Office of Advancement at (325) 649-8006.
