Loyd, McCarty Honored with Scholarship Endowments at Southern Miss

Endowments named for two retired University of Southern Mississippi faculty members honor their legacy of passion for their fields of study and helping their students succeed.

Named in honor of Dolly Loyd, an instructor in the Department of Marketing and Management from 1979 to 2004, the Dolly Loyd Marketing Scholarship Endowment will support a junior or senior majoring in marketing who holds a grade point average of 2.75 or better and demonstrates financial need. The Dr. Kenneth G. McCarty Endowed Scholarship in History, which is named in honor of Dr. Kenneth McCarty, a professor in the Department of History from 1960 to 1999, will support a student pursuing secondary teaching licensure in history/social studies.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Loyd taught for 35 years in the Southern Miss Department of Marketing including classes in principles of marketing, principles of retailing and retail management and strategy. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an MBA, both from Southern Miss.

“I'm so thrilled and humbled about the establishment of this endowed scholarship, and so grateful to those who gave to it in support of a student majoring in marketing,” Loyd said. “If this scholarship can assist a student in achieving his or her goals, I will be so proud.” 

McCarty, a Bay St. Louis, Miss. native, earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Southern Miss in 1956 and 1958, respectively. He earned his doctorate in history from Duke University in 1970. He has been affiliated with Southern Miss for 56 years, the majority of which he taught American and Mississippi history to more than 16,000 students. He retired in 1999.

“I'm honored to have my name associated with support of students who want to teach history at the secondary school level,” McCarty said. “We need good history teachers in our schools.”

Both Loyd and McCarty were involved in both University and community affairs during their tenures at Southern Miss.

Loyd, who holds the title of instructor emerita of marketing, served in a wide variety of capacities for organizations at the national, regional and state level advancing the field of marketing during her career, including the American Marketing Association; the Atlantic Marketing Association; the Association of Purchasing Managers; the Society for Marketing Advances; and the Mid-South Marketing Educators Conference.

Loyd served as the faculty advisor for the Southern Miss chapter of the American Marketing Association for 30 years, as well as the faculty advisor for Phi Chi Theta. She has been published in 25 peer-reviewed journals in her field. Equally devoted to community service, Loyd served on the board of directors for the Hattiesburg Civic Light Orchestra; volunteered with the American Heart Association; and served as co-chair of the University's United Way Campaign.

She is a member of the Southern Miss Greek Hall of Fame and has been a longtime volunteer for her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha, having served as its vice president of communications and on its national council. She is a recipient of its prestigious Helen Corey Award for her dedication to the organization.

McCarty is a two-time recipient of the University's outstanding teaching award and is a past president of the Mississippi Historical Society, which in 2013 presented him with its Dunbar Rowland Award for his contributions to the preservation, study and interpretation of Mississippi history. 

He has served on multiple councils and committees in his discipline, authored many scholarly articles, is past editor of the Journal of Mississippi History and was editor for Hattiesburg: A Pictorial History. He has been a member of the Southern Miss Alumni Association for more than 45 years and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2008.

In addition to his service to his alma mater, McCarty has also been active in the Hattiesburg community. He has served on the Hattiesburg School Board, the Hattiesburg Historic Commission, and on the Mississippi Committee for the Preservation of Local Government Records. McCarty has also frequently been called upon to serve as a political analyst for media.

Loyd and McCarty's influence and impact at Southern Miss can also be heard in the words of those they have touched.

Loyd's colleague, Dr. Bill Smith, describes Loyd as “the most organized person on the planet” with a great attention to detail and a sense of humor. Smith said countless students chose to major in marketing after taking Loyd's marketing principles class.

“She was serious about education and genuinely cared about each of her students and their preparation,” Smith said. “She spent countless hours providing advice to students about their coursework and careers.”

Smith said he and Loyd's Southern Miss colleagues miss “her voice, her laughter” if not her persistent requests for support of the many community fundraising initiatives she was involved in. “We're now in the process of developing a new heart in the Marketing Department – we lost the old one when she retired.”

Kristin Weaver, a senior from Jackson, Ala., is the first recipient of the McCarty Endowed Scholarship. She is scheduled to graduate from Southern Miss in December 2014. “I'm so grateful to Dr. McCarty and his family for creating this scholarship, not only for myself but also for those that will benefit in the years to come," Weaver said.

McCarty's son Morgan McCarty '90 said that while growing up, it was obvious to him and his sisters Jeanne '91 and Melinda '87 that their father loved teaching history, his students and Southern Miss.

“In founding this endowment, my sisters and I wanted to create something that honored our dad and at the same time, help a deserving student who shared his passions,” he said.

To donate to either of the scholarship funds, contact the USM Foundation by calling 601.266.5210.