Judson College received a $9 million Christmas present. Proceeds from the estate of Marian Acree Tucker of Dadeville, Ala., will be the largest bequest ever given to the college by an individual donor.
Tucker died in May 2003 at age 96.
“Marian Tucker was among the most devoted alumnae of Judson College,” said college president Dr. David Potts. “She cared deeply about two institutions–the college and about First Baptist Church in Dadeville. We're grateful for the progress her gift will allow in this place for the work of Christian higher education especially for women.”
Potts said the funds will be applied to the investments of the college including the Marian Acree Tucker Scholarship which was begun in 1979. Tucker established the scholarship to give preference for young women from the Dadeville area. Thirty two students were helped in the first dozen years of the scholarship, and many more since.
Tucker also gave funds for the 1994 construction of the Tucker Hall annex to Alumnae Auditorium. Tucker Hall houses the department of fine and performing arts at Judson. The harpsichord used by music students is another Tucker gift.
“Marian served as perpetual class agent for the class of 1926,” Potts said. “She called, wrote and visited her Judson sisters and encouraged them to contribute every year to the Annual Fund. Her class has the longest running record for the highest percentage of giving–some 14 years. She not only loved Judson, but she encouraged others to love the institution in a tangible way.”
Tucker majored in piano at the college and graduated with a bachelor's degree in music and a bachelor's degree in arts. She did additional study at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
At Judson she played tennis, field hockey and ran track, served as class treasurer and as president of the Glee Club. She was a member of the Board of Advisors from 1974 – 1978, a member of the Board of Trustees from 1978 until 1985 and was granted the Doctor of Humane Letters degree by the college in 1990.
The late Dr. N.H. McCrummen, chancellor of Judson in 1990 when the honorary degree was bestowed, said, “Marian Tucker has few peers to rival her as an outstanding alumna of Judson. Not only has she provided scholarships for students in this and in preceding generations, but through her vision and generosity she has provided for students to attend Judson in all future years through endowed scholarships.”
In an article published in “The Cameo,” the former alumnae magazine of Judson College, Tucker told about her initial contact with the college. “My daddy told me he'd sent my grades to Judson where my two cousins and a friend were going,” she wrote. “He knew if he put me on the train with them, I wouldn't come back! I loved it from the minute I got there.”
About her scholarships, Tucker wrote, “I still get Christmas cards from many I've helped, and many of them don't even know where the money comes from.”
Tucker was married to the late Robert Tucker and worked as a teacher and with her husband at the Tucker Insurance Agency in Dadeville. Following his death in 1955, she assumed management and superintended investments in insurance, real estate and timber.
Tucker donated land for the construction of the Lake Martin Community Hospital and helped to create the Dadeville Public Library and the Tallapoosa Historical Society. She served on the Board of Directors for the Camp Hill Bank and as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. At her church she served on the music and pulpit committees.
The community of Dadeville named her “First Lady” of the city in 1967 and one of the “Persons of the Year” in 1991.
“This gift from Mrs. Tucker is an enormous milestone for Judson College,” Potts said. “It is the first time we've received a gift that equals or exceeds the annual operating budget of the institution. These funds will make a favorable impact on the important mission of Judson College.”
Judson College is Alabama's college for women and provides, according to the National Survey on Student Engagement, one of the best undergraduate experiences for students in the South.
-30-