Legacy of Giving

Before a single building stood on Lyon College’s campus, there was a scholarship. Little could a small town lawyer in remote El Dorado, Arkansas, know that his gift, made as America shed itself of the shadows of a world war and instead faced the dawning of a cold war, would endure for now three quarters of a century and lead to dozens of lives transformed through the simple gift of an education.

The Roberta Armstrong Mahony Endowed Scholarship, named in memory of Joseph Kirby Mahony’s late wife and which supports students pursuing ministry, is now one of the most awarded endowed scholarships in the history of Lyon College, with students still receiving it to this day. Launched with that first $10,000 gift in 1949, the Mahony endowment now has a market value greater than $65,000 while also paying out more than $50,000 in aid to students over the last two decades alone.

Held in high esteem for her radiant Christian character as well as her generosity in promoting the cause of Christian education, Mrs. Mahony served as a trustee of then Arkansas College, helping steer the institution during the height of the Great Depression, from 1931 until 1933. In an era when people struggled to survive on little, it was the spirit of men and women like her that inspired others to hope for a better

future for our youth.

First awarded in 1950, the scholarship has played a vital role in the lives of generations of students like Peggy (Arnold) Dufek, ʼ65.

“It was very important to me because I didn’t receive any assistance from my family. I was on my own,” said Dufek, who majored in Christian Education and went on to study at the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (now Union Presbyterian Seminary) in Richmond, Virginia. While her career led to other paths, she credits her time at Arkansas College as beneficial to her life, and, Dufek said, she could not have finished her education without scholarships. Inspired by the Mahonys’ act of philanthropy, she has supported the Annual Fund every year since 1985.

For Eric Morgan, ʼ11, the Mahony Endowed Scholarship was one of several theology and ministry scholarships underwriting his financial aid package.

“I knew I wanted to go to graduate school, seminary actually, and I knew I needed an institution with a strong education and a rigorous curriculum to prepare me,” Morgan said. “That’s why I chose Lyon. And, knowing I would need to accrue debt at the graduate level, having this scholarship support meant even more because every scholarship dollar for undergrad was one less in debt as I entered grad school.”

Morgan said he likes to think that the Mahonys would have been pleased with their investment in him.

“Lyon was very formative for me,” he said. “It made an opportunity for me to get involved in the community, to develop relationships with others whom I probably would not have otherwise, and gave me a stronger sense of purpose and connection.”

His mentorship by professors Nikki Yonts and Paul Bube as well as by then-college chaplain Nancy McSpadden were vital in shaping Morgan into the man he is today, he said.

“Knowing that, with perseverance and resources, I can achieve what I set out to do … they helped me understand and believe in myself,” he said.

Morgan now is “paying it forward” through his work as an academic adviser with the Student Success division of Nashville State Community College in Tennessee. He has also joined the ScotsConnect platform.

“I think it will help give me opportunities to become more connected with current students and alumni,” he said, adding that he plans to give back financially also as means and opportunity allow. “I know the benefit of and the need for scholarship aid. Working at a state school, I know COVID-19 is having an impact on this college’s financial future, so I’m certain that impact is being felt more strongly at a private school like Lyon.”

Emon Mahony of El Dorado was in elementary school when his grandfather established the Roberta Armstrong Mahony Endowed Scholarship to honor his grandmother’s memory.

“They were devout Presbyterians,” he said. “My grandmother’s family was instrumental in starting the Presbyterian church in El Dorado.”

Together, they instilled in their family a strong belief in the mission of higher education, and a strong sense of philanthropy toward it.

That family foundation of generosity led Emon Mahony to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps, who established his own scholarship at South Arkansas Community College. Interestingly, before being contacted for this article, Mahony was not even aware of his grandparents’ scholarship at Lyon, but he was not surprised that they had created it so many years ago.

“My family has a deep belief that the purpose of education is to teach people how to learn,” Emon Mahony said. “But, what really matters is what you do after you leave (college or university): Are you contributing to the general wellbeing of your community?”