MCKINNEY EX-STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (MESA)
What is “MESA”
The McKinney Ex-Students Association (MESA) exists to promote fellowship among McKinney ISD alumni and to support graduating McKinney ISD students with scholarships. MESA holds annual reunions and publishes the McKinney Ex-Student’s Newsletter. By joining MESA, you can maintain contact with your McKinney classmates while investing in the current generation of MISD students.
MESA is governed by a board of directors comprised of former McKinney students. Board membership is open to anyone who attended a McKinney school and is interested in serving. The bylaws limit the board to no more than 25 in order to meet and discuss topics comfortably. Each member is asked to serve a 2-year term but encouraged to remain on board for an extended time. The president serves as an ex-officio member of the MEF Board of Trustees which strengthens the interaction of MESA as an integral part of the MEF.
The mission of the McKinney Ex-Students Association (MESA) is to award scholarships and to promote fellowship. As a program of the McKinney Education Foundation (MEF), MESA has strong support from the MEF Board, Staff and their office systems. The MESA Board is an independent committee under the parent organization of MEF and, as such, MESA adheres to the same basic guidelines as MEF.
Fellowship among exes is encouraged and supported through online news, a MEGA Reunion each Spring, and helping to promote the various individual class reunions. Funding for scholarships, maintenance of the newsletter, and the MEGA expenses comes from the annual $20 membership dues paid by the exes. All exes are encouraged to donate to the MESA Endowment through memorials and individual contributions. Be sure to join the McKinney Ex-Students Association on Facebook!
MESA SCHOLARSHIPS – WHY DONATE?
Each May, MESA awards scholarships to graduating MISD seniors. Scholarship recipients who are direct descendants of former students and meet additional criteria as determined by the board. The scholarship amounts depend on the dues and donations MESA receives. Donations include private gifts from individuals and companies. Through scholarships, MESA enables MISD graduates to achieve life-long success through higher education.
Why Contribute? In 2007 Bill Dowdy, a former MEF Board Member and an active MESA Board Member, encouraged the family of Bobby Younger to set up an endowment in Bobby’s memory that would provide scholarships for MISD graduates meeting the criteria of the family and MEF. The first scholarship was awarded to Robert Carpenter in the Spring of 2008. Bill Dowdy represented the Younger family in presenting the award to Robert. CLICK HERE to read about the impact this scholarship and Bill Dowdy made on this young man’s life. You too can make an impact. It takes a minimum of $25,000 to set up a permanently endowed scholarship through the MEF. It can be done as a memorial to someone you or even a group of friends and/or ex-students would like to honor. If unable to afford this, you can send any size contribution to the McKinney Ex-Students Association’s Endowment. Any donation to the MESA’s Endowment needs to be made out to the McKinney Education Foundation but designated to be assigned to MESA’s Endowment. For more information contact the MESA president, Bill Crump, at MCKINNEYEXSTUDENTSASSOCIATION@GMAIL.COM.
Planning a Class Reunion? Contact us and let us help. We can help:
Post the reunion information online
Provide class rosters from the large database of names on the MEF data system.
For a small fee, we can produce mailing labels with the most current addresses from the MEF data system.
Contact Bill Crump, MCKINNEYEXSTUDENTSASSOCIATION@GMAIL.COM and be sure to join the McKinney Ex-Students Association on Facebook to share your news!
NEWS
Many of you exes may feel somewhat detached from your hometown of McKinney. It might surprise you, like myself, that many products we use and enjoy are ‘Made in McKinney’. I came across the following videos recently after reading in the current ‘Traditional Home’ magazine about two brothers who live and also ‘make’ their mobile games here in McKinney. There are many similar stories but the common thread in these is that the businesses are run by people either from McKinney or who have chosen McKinney as their home. I decided to add a section to our ex’s page that will help you too discover the present-day McKinney we call our hometown. Hope you enjoy this new feature!
For these videos, go online to vimeo.com/madeinmckinney and watch the videos on Newtoy, My Vintage Baby, Hie Electronics, and Dinosaurs.
2018-2019 MESA Officers and Board Members:
Bill Crump, President
Betty Petkovsek, Vice President
Sharon Gotcher, Secretary
Lindsey Pennington, Treasurer
Judy Florence
Flip Phillips
Frances Lynn
Rona Boyd
Norita Gunter
Theresa Roberts
IN LOVING MEMORY…
Below are listings of deceased ex-students. We will put a new list on the website periodically. When a new list is published, this record, as well as future records, will be archived for reference.
In Loving Memory – As of June 2013
In Loving Memory – As of August 2012
In Loving Memory – Archives up to May 2012
In Loving Memory – Archives up to February 2011
In Loving Memery – Archives up to March 2011
With the changes taking place in local newspapers as well as our own exes newsletter, and the changes in staff at the MEF, we need your help even more with notices of deceased. Please send any notices to MCKINNEYEXSTUDENTSASSOCIATION@GMAIL.COM, liaison to the MESA Board. She will periodically compile a list and send it to the MEF for input.
May we suggest that a memorial gift in a classmates name to the McKinney Ex-Students Association Scholarship Endowment would be a wonderful way to remember friends. It truly is a gift that keeps on giving as the endowment continues to grow and scholarships are awarded to qualifying McKinney graduating seniors.