The Coach Jack N. Roberson Memorial Scholarship was endowed in 2002. Mr. Jack Roberson had a long and rich history with Panola College. The excerpt below from the February 9, 1949 edition of The Pony Express illustrates how and why Mr. Roberson began his relationship with the college.
“From the time Jack got out of the army till January 1948, he worked for Lacey Oil Co. When Panola Junior College opened its doors on January 19 of that year, he was waiting for another location of his crew (Jack was a roughneck). Here was opportunity knocking at the door, and he took it. He enrolled as a charter member of the institution and began his major in math.”
Mr. Roberson was a Panola Pioneer, one of the first fifty-five students who braved a snowstorm on January 19, 1948 to register for classes at Panola Junior College. Courses were conducted in a ramshackle cluster of drafty old army structures. Many times Jack and his fellow students sat in classes with numbed fingers watching snow pile up on the window sill. This was not exactly an atmosphere conducive to studying but he came through with flying colors.
During his freshman year, he hitchhiked from Tenaha to Carthage every day to attend classes. Later, when the college purchased two Ford buses, he and Bubba Clinton were hired as drivers and paid $85 per month. Roberson would transport students from Tenaha, Center, Joaquin, Gary and points in between, while Clinton would drive from Mount Enterprise through Minden and Clayton.
He was elected twice to the office of President of the Student Body and was a Columnist and Feature Writer for the college newspaper, The Pony Express. In 1949, Jack and twelve fellow students comprised Panola’s first graduating class.
“Without students like Mr. Roberson, Panola College would not be where it is today. Those individuals saw an opportunity, took a chance and enrolled with the fledgling PCJ. They set the bar for students to come, established traditions and provided leadership that insured the success of the college,” said Van Patterson, Director of Institutional Advancement.
Mr. Roberson’s wife Aillene, and their sons Ken, Richard, Ron and Steve Roberson established the scholarship with the intention of continuing Mr. Roberson’s dedication to helping others to better their lives. They also invite all those interested in adding to this memorial to please do so in memory of Jack Roberson. Contributions should be sent to the attention of Mr. Van Patterson in the Office of Institutional Advancement, 1109 W. Panola, Carthage TX, 75633.
The Coach Jack N. Roberson Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to a deserving student majoring in education or kinesiology. The selection and announcement naming the recipient will be made in the spring each year.