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As we plan for a new round of fundraising for the Marilyn Potts Scholarship, it’s important to remind more recent chapter members who she was and why we named a scholarship after her. Only those of us active in the chapter since the early 2000’s would have had any contact with her and known of her good works and contributions to the Chapter.
Marilyn came to San Antonio from Wichita, Kansas in 1997 where she had graduated from Wichita State University and worked in a number of public relations positions in the Wichita area after graduation. She was an accredited member (APR) and 2005 president of the San Antonio PRSA Chapter. She was also the professional advisor to the Student Chapter of PRSSA at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and in 2004, had served as Chapter Laision to the group. She quickly established herself as a consummate professional in her busy working role for Methodist Healthcare System and in her leadership abilities within the Chapter.
Then tragedy struck. In early May of 2006, Marilyn K. Potts, APR, died of complications resulting from an automobile accident at the age of 58. At the time, she had been a public relations and marketing specialist for the Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio for six years. She was survived by her husband, Michael Potts, APR, a daughter, Kimberly Garrett, of Overland Park, Kansas, three brothers and a sister.
In early 2007, Chapter leaders Kami Watson Huyse, APR, Paige Ramsey-Palmer, APR, Fran Stephenson, APR, Fellow PRSA, Monica Faulkenbery, APR and Chisty Goodman, APR Fellow PRSA who all knew her well, proposed the creation of a perpetual scholarship in Marilyn’s name. The Chapter Board concurred and decided it would be most fitting to honor her memory with an annual $1,000 scholarship for up-and-coming students at UTSA – in particular, PRSSA members. Fundraising was slow at first, but accelerated when I was Chapter president in 2009, and by 2011, we had enough of an endowment to begin awarding a $1,000 scholarship annually. Since then, we have awarded 11 scholarships with plans to expand both the number of annual awards and the amount of the scholarship as we build the endowment.
This is where we’ll need your help. In the coming weeks and months, we will begin a new round of fundraising for the Marilyn Potts Scholarship in hopes of at least doubling the endowment. Public Relations students need our help now more than ever and we hope when you’re asked, you will give generously to help those coming up behind us.
-- Robert E. Sheldon, APR, Fellow PRSA
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