School announces scholarship in memory of alumna

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law announces a $100,000 endowed scholarship funded by Howard James Ford in memory of his late wife, Judith V. Ford, a 1990 alumna of the School. The first Judith V. (Judy) Ford Endowed Memorial Scholarship of $5,000 will be awarded this fall to a second-year law student for the 2015 - 2016 academic year.   Ford established the scholarship to provide financial support to students who, like his wife Judy, are seeking a law degree to pursue a second career path in life and demonstrate a strong commitment by excelling academically their first year of school.

Judy Ford received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and her master’s degree from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.  She graduated cum laude from University of Detroit School of Law with the degree of Juris Doctor.  A member of the State Bars of Michigan, Nebraska, and Arkansas, she retired in 2011 from the position of senior vice-president of human resources at AG Processing in Omaha, Nebraska, after 18 years of service. 

Prior to that, she worked in human resources for Vickers Incorporated in Searcy, Arkansas, as well as at the Joplin, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma facilities, and she was human resources manager for Comcast Cablevision in Flint and Pontiac, Michigan.  After law school and prior to moving to Nebraska, she was a practicing attorney.  Judy Ford was known for having an adventurous spirit and enjoyed traveling, having visited every state in the Union, all the Canadian provinces, Mexico, Central America, many islands of the Caribbean, and numerous countries in Europe.

Commenting on his wife’s desire to give back to the School of Law, Ford stated, “When Judy was attending law school at the University of Detroit, she received a scholarship to help defray part of the
costs.  In the years after she graduated, she expressed hope to one day be able to give back to the School of Law and the students who attend there.” 
Her generous spirit influenced him, he said, and led him to endow this scholarship to support her legacy. “Judy’s spirit of caring about and working to help others embodied a very large part of who she was on this earth,” he added.

“Her example of living this out in life has encouraged me to do the same.  I am establishing this scholarship in Judy’s honor to help students in future years achieve their goal of becoming an attorney.  I want the Judith V. (Judy) Ford Endowed Memorial Scholarship to be a lasting part of the legacy that this truly wonderful, generous and beautiful woman leaves behind.”

In commenting on the new endowed scholarship, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Dean Phyllis L. Crocker stated, “This gift comes from the heart with a noble purpose.  We thank Mr. Ford for his generosity and for his support of our students.”

––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available