Pruden’s bequest establishes scholarships in accountancy and music
OXFORD, Miss. – An estate gift of more than $900,000 from the late Floyd E. Pruden, a University of Mississippi alumnus and supporter, will establish three scholarships that honor the donor and memorialize the lives of his parents, Lorena Adams Pruden and Floyd Everett Pruden.
Pruden, who earned a bachelor’s degree in general business in 1971 and a bachelor’s in accountancy in 1973, left his estate to Ole Miss to create the Adams Pruden Scholarship Endowment, the Adams Pruden Accountancy Scholarship Endowment in the Patterson School of Accountancy and the Adams Pruden Music Scholarship Endowment in the College of Liberal Arts.
“We are extremely grateful for Floyd’s enduring dedication and support of the university,” said Wendell Weakley, president and CEO of the University of Mississippi Foundation. “Floyd was a friend and dedicated fraternity brother of mine, and his Ole Miss legacy will be expanded through the lives of students who benefit from these transformational scholarships.
“He truly wanted to invest in the future of the university he loved so well.”
Pruden, a native of Pascagoula, was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He loved attending Ole Miss sporting events, especially football, for which he purchased season tickets since his student days.
“Floyd kept every football program from the games he attended, starting from his time in college until he passed in June 2022,” said Randy Adams, Pruden’s cousin and executor of the estate. “He was generous to Ole Miss and loved the university with every breath and all his heart.”
Pruden’s gift also included many of those Ole Miss football programs, which will be added to the university’s athletics archives.
“One of the more important sections in our archives include official football game programs, which we have dating back to the 1931 season,” said Langston Rogers, special assistant to the athletics director for history. ”Mr. Pruden’s generous estate gift has enabled the athletics department to fill in some of the missing programs in our collection, especially those programs from when the Rebels played on the road.”
Gayland Cox, Pruden’s longtime friend and football companion, recalled how even-keeled the donor’s reactions were each season while cheering for the Rebels, either at home or away.
“He was always on the positive side and would stay to the last whistle,” Cox said. “Even if we lost, Floyd would say, ‘We’ll get ’em next time.’ He was so calm and committed to supporting the team.”
That commitment of support extended to academics with Pruden’s numerous gifts to the accounting school, School of Business Administration, J.D. Williams Library and the university’s marching band.
“Floyd didn’t hesitate to give to Ole Miss,” Cox said. “He loved the school, was dedicated to his fraternity and remained a die-hard fan his entire life.”
Pruden lived in Columbus after retiring in 2005 with 30 years of service to agencies in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A member of First United Methodist Church, he led a life of service to others.
“He was a caretaker of people and loved God, his family and Ole Miss,” Adams said. “Floyd planned to leave his estate to the university for quite a while and it was no surprise to us simply because of how much he truly loved his alma mater.”
Both the Adams Pruden Accountancy Scholarship Endowment and the Adams Pruden Music Scholarship Endowment are open to support from businesses and individuals. Gifts can be made by sending a check, with the fund’s name noted on the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or by giving online here for accountancy and here for music.
Top: Besides an estate gift of $900,000, the late Floyd E. Pruden left the university his collection of football programs, which will be added to its athletics archives. Pruden ‘was generous to Ole Miss and loved the university with every breath and all his heart.’ Photo by Amy Howell/University Development
Mary Stanton Knight
February 08, 2025
University, MS 38677 USA
662-915-7211
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