FAMU Foundation receives $266,000 from Washington, D.C. alumni for scholarships

The Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Foundation has received a gift of $266,000 from the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the University’s National Alumni Association (NAA). The gift is the largest donation ever received from a single alumni chapter. The funds will be used to establish the Washington, D.C. Chapter Annie B. Pharr Endowed Scholarship at the University. The donation is a result of an estate gift that was bequeathed to the chapter by the late Annie B. Pharr.

“We chose to establish the endowment at the FAMU Foundation so that Annie B. Pharr’s legacy could live forever while also helping the University fill in the funding gap for students,” said Chapter President Artie L. Polk, D.Min. “After meeting with President [Elmira Mangum] while she was visiting Washington, D.C. recently, the chapter decided to provide long-term resources that would help the University meet state metrics and assist in retaining and graduating students.”

Annie B. Pharr earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from FAMC in 1946 and received graduate training at the McGill University in Montreal, Canada.  She worked as a nurse at Freedman Hospital in Washington, D.C. where she served in several senior management positions including head nurse, supervisor, and director of training. She also worked at Doctors Hospital in Prince Georges County, Maryland.

“Annie B. Pharr was greatly respected for her dedication to uplifting the community and promoting the success of FAMU,” Polk said. “Because of her generosity, commitment, and service to Florida A&M University, the legacy of Annie B. Pharr will live on in the hearts of many forever.”

Before Ms. Pharr’s death, she was one of four alumni of the Washington, D.C. Chapter to be honored with a named student scholarship from the Chapter, acknowledging her immense support for scholarships and the financial stability of students pursuing higher education at the University.

Through the endowment, the Chapter will begin awarding scholarships to students matriculating at FAMU, who are from the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.

“FAMU alumni have an unparalleled tradition of service throughout the country, and we are proud to have a scholarship program that carries the name of such a remarkable woman,” Mangum said. “We are grateful to the members of the D.C. Chapter for their commitment to working with the University to ensure a successful educational experience for our students.”