Beatrice Craig Endowed Scholarship

Beatrice Mc Willie Craig was born in Jackson, MS on April 19, 1876. She met and married Reverend Robert Edward Lee Craig on November 18, 1897 in Jackson, MS. After Reverend Craig’s death in 1916, Beatrice was called upon by Mrs. Annie Nugent Gibbs of Huntsville, TX, a childhood fiend of Beatrice’s from Mississippi. The widow of Wilbourn Sanford Gibbs, Annie Gibbs was living in a big house in Huntsville all alone and invited Beatice and Bertie to come live with her. President Estill was a friend of Annie ’s who called upon him to hire Beatrice to work at Sam Houston Normal Institute. President Estill employed Beatrice in the Estill library as librarian, where she served from 1916 until her retirement in 1946 at age 70, which at the time was the mandatory retirement age. Miss Craig provided for a gift to Sam Houston State University from the Elizabeth Craig Testamentary Charitable Remainder to add to an existing endowment in the name of Beatrice Craig. The original endowment had been established by the University with gifts from friends of Beatrice Craig after her death in 1965. The endowment was established to provide scholarships for library science students. The Beatrice Craig Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 1976 by the Beatrice Craig Library Club.