(Photo by August Jennewein)

Gathered for a group photograph are several recipients of the Eugene J. Meehan Scholarship, one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded by the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Arts and Sciences.

Meehan taught political science for 20-plus years at UMSL. He died in 2002, and Alice, his wife, died in 2010. Their estate began funding one of the university’s largest privately funded scholarships in the 2002-2003 academic year and has assisted about 150 students with more than $350,000 in financial aid.

Terry Jones, Founders Professor of Political Science at UMSL, discussed Meehan at a scholarship recognition breakfast earlier this semester. He noted that his colleague and friend was a member of “the Greatest Generation.” Meehan was a decorated World War II fighter pilot who flew 88 missions in a P-51 Mustang and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.

“More than any other individual, Gene instilled two values in the social sciences at UMSL, values that persist to this day,” Jones said. “First, be absolutely clear and rigorous in your thinking. His own work was a model and he was a superb but constructive critic.

“Second, the purpose for producing and disseminating knowledge was to improve the human condition,” he continued. “For Gene, ‘so what’ was the key question. He had little tolerance for knowledge for its own sake – learning something new had to make a difference. Life was too precious and time too short.”

Meehan was a “crusty character but one with a hidden soft heart,” Jones said. But UMSL and especially its students meant a lot to him. The Meehan Scholarship was his “thank you” to UMSL’s students.

Recipients of the Meehan Scholarship were awarded $3,000 for the 2014-2015 academic year. To earn the scholarship, students must be at least juniors or seniors, be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the College of Arts and Sciences, maintain a 3.5 GPA, demonstrate excellence in academic discipline, be enrolled as a full-time student and have financial need as determined by the Office of Financial Aid.

This year’s recipients include:
Heather Le Bailey
Brianna Baid
Megan Cloud
Leroy Davis
Shelby Emerson
Kerry Franklin
Jacob Garrett
Kevin Halinar
Josiah Hartline
Zachary Hopper
Henry Hung Huynh
Matthew Krahl
Kelly Kramer
Lindsey Laird
Ramin Melikov
Leslie Mobley
Caitlin Mulvihill
Hung Thanh Nguyen
Jerrell Norman
Dana Pensoneau
Maria Pilger
Christopher Powers
Sandra Sanchez
Andrew Santon
Matthew Segrist
Ashley Sims
Harold Sloke
Dodi Smason
Amber Smith