Past, Present and Future

After alumni Terry and Faye (Attaway) Whitworth graduated from Truman, they embarked on a journey that took them to Utah to earn their post graduate degrees and ultimately to Washington to pursue their careers. Terry and Faye started their support many years ago with annual gifts to their respective departments. Two years ago, they decided to help students now and increase this support in the future through a legacy gift. Through their contributions, the Whitworths established two scholarships for undergraduate students; one for a student majoring in biology and the other for a pre-MAE student in social and cultural studies.

For a glance back to the past, Terry, a northeast Missouri native, came to the University from Martinstown. Faye picked Truman because it was centrally located, and she was unsure where her family would be stationed with her father in the Air Force. The couple married during their sophomore year. After graduation, they pursued graduate degrees from Utah State University. Faye holds a master of science degree in history and a master of science education degree, while Terry has a master of science degree and a Ph.D. in entomology.

Both credit the education they received at Truman for preparing them to have successful careers.

Terry has served as an adjunct professor at Washington State University and owner of Whitworth Pest Solutions. Faye taught history, geography, anthropology, comparative religion and math at Bethel High School.

Terry’s specialty is blow flies and he has published numerous papers on the subject. As a result of his research, he has described 41 new species, one which he named after Faye, Lucilia fayeae. They discovered this species together on a collecting trip in the West Indies. Terry sold his business to three employees, and he still consults with them. As for Faye, she retired after 37 years of teaching. Both make regular trips back to Northeast Missouri to visit their farm and family.

The Whitworths created their scholarships with a cash donation to continue to support the funds each year. This is achieved through qualified charitable distributions—a minimum distribution paid directly to a charity—to finance the scholarships. In the future, they will continue to add to the funds through an estate gift to Truman. Since they know the difficulties that face a young couple while working toward a degree, the Whitworths have asked their scholarships give preference to married students.

As the Whitworths honor their past with their support of Truman in the present, they also embrace the future with that support and belief in the students of today and tomorrow. You can join them with a future gift. Contact Cody Weichelt at 660-785-4124 or cweichelt@truman.edu to learn more.