The 2014 recipient of the Alumni Board Scholarship is an incoming freshman who is no stranger to SAU, Cole Hendrixson.
Hendrixson is coming to SAU from Little Rock and will be a Biology Pre-Med student.
“SAU provided my family with the education to be successful in their careers,” said Hendrixson. “The new science facilities make SAU the ideal institution for me to achieve my dream of receiving my Biology degree and becoming a Physician’s Assistant.”
Cole’s ties to SAU trace back to his grandfather, Welton Robert Bailey, who attended Magnolia A&M in 1947. Bailey also enrolled in night school from 1960-1968. Cole’s grandmother, Sue Martin Bailey, was a nurse at Wilson Clinic, where she gave flu shots to all the Mulerider athletes and members of the athletic department. Her time spent at the clinic became so regular that she became known as “Dr. Sue.” After fifteen years of volunteering, she received a Merit Award from SAU. Following her death in 1996, Cole’s grandfather received honorary seating and parking for all basketball and football events, and a lifetime pass signed by Coach W.T. Watson. The pass was good for any athletic function and was an honor he has cherished and will so for the rest of his life.
In 2006, Sue Bailey was posthumously inducted into the SAU Sports Hall of Fame. The family history with SAU continues with Cole’s mother, Connie Bailey Hendrixson. After being crowned Miss Southern Belle and Miss Magnolia in 1969, Connie went on to graduate from SAU in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science and Education degree. She then took a second grade teaching position at Eastside Elementary.
