Centennial Bank Honors Steves with Marketing, Advertising Scholarship
Centennial Bank directors and employees have established an endowment scholarship at the UALR College of Business honoring the late banker and marketing executive Tom Steves, a UALR alumnus. The Thomas E. Steves Sr. Memorial Alumni Endowment will benefit UALR students in marketing and advertising. Centennial Bank will match employer contributions to the endowment.
Steves, 68, died May 26 in a motorcycle accident. He had been executive vice president at Twin City Bank, now Centennial Bank, since 2002. Steves received a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing from UALR in 1970. He was long-time advertising and public relations professional in Little Rock who was a member of the UALR Alumni Association Board of Directors and University District Partnership Steering Committee and a former UALR adjunct professor.
“All of us at Centennial Bank are proud to support the Tom Steves Sr. Endowment,” said Centennial CEO Bob Birch. “We recognize both Tom and UALR’s commitment to education in the marketing and advertising professions. This endowment will perpetuate his memory as well as provide for students to learn about the career he truly loved.”
Steves’ dedication to UALR extended to his entire family. His wife, Robin Helton Steves, is a 1980 UALR graduate. His son, Tom Steves Jr., received accounting and finance degrees from UALR, and their daughter, Hope, is pursuing a master’s degree in education at UALR.
The Steves Endowment will be administered by the chair of the marketing and advertising department, and funds will be utilized for tuition, fees, books, and room/board at UALR. Recipients must be full- or part-time students majoring in marketing or advertising. Preference will be given to junior and senior level students. Academic accomplishment and financial need will be considered. Recipients must have a minimum grade point average of a 2.5.
To contribute to the endowed scholarship fund, contact Will Elliott, development director for the College of Business, at 501.569.3208 or jwelliott@ualr.edu