Contact: Sid Salter

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A $50,000 gift from Mississippi Commissioner of Revenue Herb Frierson will make possible an endowment for scholarships at Mississippi State University benefiting students who are graduates of his hometown high school in Poplarville.

Frierson and his wife, the former Cheryl Ann Young, are alumni of Mississippi State. A 1981 alumnus of the university’s College of Education, he is a real estate appraiser and a former high school teacher and coach. She is a 1982 graduate of the Bagley College of Engineering.

Named in their honor, The Herb and Cheryl Frierson Endowed Scholarship primarily will support incoming MSU freshmen from Poplarville High School who meet established academic criteria. The scholarship also extends to academically eligible incoming transfer students from Pearl River Community College who are Poplarville High School graduates, as well as any graduates of Poplarville High School attending MSU who meet academic requirements. All awards are contingent on earnings available from the endowment.

Frierson was a longtime member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, elected from the 106th District, which encompasses parts of Pearl River and Lamar counties. He was a legislator from 1992 until June 30 of this year, serving in the post of House Appropriations chairman since 2012. His appointment as commissioner of revenue began July 1.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.