Scovell Scholarship Foundation
By the time they gathered at the Hyatt Regency Dallas in mid-May, the 2025 Scovell Scholars were already accustomed to standing out — in classrooms, on fields and courts, behind microphones, and at the side of those in need. Now, 17 of them have one more thing in common: a $5,000 scholarship bearing the name of the late Field Scovell — affectionately known as “Mr. Cotton Bowl” — and his wife, Mary.
In total, the Scovell Scholarship Foundation handed out $85,000 this year, honoring a legacy of character, service, and sportsmanship. Since 1991, the volunteer-run nonprofit has awarded more than $1.2 million in scholarships to North Texas students who excel both on and off the field — and often in the face of extraordinary odds.
“These students are leaders in every sense of the word,” said Scott Lavender, the Foundation’s president. “They’ve shown us that moral character, grit, and a sense of purpose can carry you a long way — and we’re proud to be part of their journey.”
Of this year’s 17 recipients, ten are graduating high school seniors who will attend Texas colleges in the fall. Five are previous Scovell Scholars still working toward their degrees. And two are newly minted interns — also former recipients — who will spend the next year gaining experience behind the scenes of the Foundation itself.
The 2025 class represents the best kind of North Texas success story: kids from Denton to Dallas who’ve faced adversity and chosen service, leadership, and resilience. Take Gabrielle Fox of Timber Creek High School, a cancer survivor with more than 250 volunteer hours and plans to become a NICU nurse. Or Lananh La, a Mansfield Lake Ridge senior whose fundraising for the Boys & Girls Club led her toward a future in physical therapy.
In Paradise, Texas, baseball captain Leland Mattern is known as a steady hand both on and off the diamond. At Ryan High in Denton, tennis player and aspiring city planner Rosemary Lambert is already thinking about how to design cities that serve everyone. And in Cedar Hill, Evelyn Hersman — the first in her family to go to college — is headed to Dallas Baptist University after taking what she calls “the road less traveled.”
The Foundation doesn’t just reward early achievers — it stays with them. That’s where the Prince Scholarships come in, supporting five former Scovell Scholars as they continue toward graduation. Among them: UT Austin double major Gia Han Nguyen, DBU multi-sport athlete Samantha Gudenau, and Mary Hardin–Baylor nursing student Tate Riley O’Neal, who somehow balances a 4.0 GPA with shifts at a sporting goods store and babysitting gigs.
This year also marked the debut of the Foundation’s new intern scholarships. The inaugural recipients, Sara Ann Sandoval and Gracie Marie Lee, both exemplify the program’s goals: ambition, heart, and a clear desire to give back. Sandoval, an education major at Texas A&M, spent the year mentoring a fifth grader. Lee, a volleyball player and health administration major at Texas Southern, coaches kids and volunteers with Bread of Life and the Boys and Girls Club in Houston.
Though their paths vary, the common thread running through the Scovell Scholars is the drive to serve others — and the recognition that excellence isn’t just about accolades, but about showing up with integrity and purpose.
“These are not just smart kids or good athletes,” Lavender said. “They’re future leaders — the kind who lift people up, take initiative, and make their communities stronger.”
To that end, each scholarship is named in honor of individuals and businesses who share the Foundation’s values — folks like J. Curtis Sanford, Susan Nix, and Catfish Montgomery. It’s a reminder that behind every bright young scholar is a web of people willing to invest in their potential.
In a state where football is gospel and Friday nights are sacred, Field Scovell built his reputation not just on the Cotton Bowl’s glory, but on the belief that sports — and education — could shape better citizens. More than three decades after his death, his legacy lives on not in stadium lights, but in the daily choices of young people like these.
