Released March 14, 2005

HATTIESBURG – A veteran member of The University of Southern Mississippi faculty and a Southern Miss senior were honored by the Mississippi Legislature in February for their academic achievements.

Dr. William K. Scarborough, a professor of history at Southern Miss since 1965, and Molly Grubbs, a senior from Hattiesburg majoring in speech communication with a minor in marketing, received the HEADWAE Award during ceremonies held in Jackson.

The HEADWAE (Higher Education Appreciation Day/Working for Academic Excellence) Award was established in 1988 by the Mississippi Legislature to honor students for academic achievement and faculty who have contributed to the promotion of academic excellence at each of the state's public and private institutions.

Grubbs, who is enrolled in the Southern Miss Honors College, is the daughter of Gary and Glenda Grubbs, both Southern Miss alumni. Gary has been a veteran Hollywood actor and screenwriter for the last 25 years, including recent roles in the movies Ray and All the King's Men, and teaches acting classes in New Orleans. Glenda is a former Miss Mississippi.

"I realize there are many outstanding students at Southern Miss, so I feel lucky to receive this award, and it's a privilege to represent my university," Grubbs said.

Scarborough and Grubbs were among many students and faculty members from across the state recognized in Jackson by the Senate and House and later at an awards luncheon. Each student and faculty honoree is selected for the award by his or her respective school.

Scarborough, who received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina and a master's degree from Cornell University, has been widely published. His most recent work includes Masters of the Big House: Elite Slaveholders of the Mid-Nineteenth Century South.

He has received numerous honors and awards for his research and teaching, including the 2004 Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award, the Mississippi Historical Society's B.L.C. Wailes Award, and Southern Miss Excellence in Teaching Award in 1981 and 1984 and Excellence in Research Award in 1989.

"It's a great honor to be chosen for such a prestigious award by your colleagues," Scarborough said of the HEADWAE Award.

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