A new annual scholarship established by a Shreveport law firm with deep roots in Northwest Louisiana will support graduate students at LSU Shreveport.
The Jack Bailey Memorial Scholarship – named after the founder of the Jack Bailey Law Corporation – is one more way the firm is giving back to the community, says Jack “Jake” Bailey III, son of founder Jack Bailey Jr.
The name of the scholarship is a bit of a family joke. Jack Bailey Jr. is alive, well, and at age 72 still working at the law firm he opened in the late 1980s.
“My dad helped pay for college for several people in our family,” Jake Bailey says. “When he did it, he would joke, ‘This is the Jack Bailey Memorial Scholarship’.”
Jack Bailey Sr., Jake’s grandfather, started the family’s LSU tradition, working his way through LSU in Baton Rouge before joining the Navy. From 1943 to the end of World War II, he participated in every major invasion in the Atlantic and Pacific military theaters. Jack Bailey Jr., Jake’s dad, graduated from LSU Law School in 1977 and is a passionate Tigers fan.
Jake graduated from LSUS in 2012 and earned a law degree from Loyola Law School in New Orleans. His brother and sister took classes at LSUS. He recalls his sister taking a full load at LSUS every summer so she could finish her undergraduate degree in just three and half years.
The Bailey family has invested in education for years through donations and in-person support. Jack Bailey Jr. has mentored students directly, including as a mentor for Evangel Christian Academy students.
The law firm also supports the Krewe of Centaur, Robinson’s Rescue, the Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana, and organizations that serve unhoused individuals.
“If you’re from Shreveport, you either went to LSUS or you know somebody who went to LSUS,” Jake says. “If you can help cut a few thousand dollars off the cost of someone’s education with scholarships, what better investment is there?”
Establishing an annual scholarship is a very easy process and can be done with gifts starting at $3,000. Donors choose the name and area of concentration to support. Annual scholarships allow donors to have an immediate, positive impact on LSUS students’ lives.
LSUS Foundation President and CEO Laura Perdue says the Jack Bailey Memorial Scholarship and the Bailey family’s commitment to higher education exemplifies the community support that is helping LSUS grow.
"This is truly a purple and gold family! We can't thank them enough for supporting LSU Shreveport students in this manner,” Perdue said.
About the LSUS Foundation
The LSUS Foundation promotes philanthropic support for LSUS programs and areas of study while recognizing the all-important growth and success of economic development in northwest Louisiana. The LSUS Foundation houses 58 endowed professorships and chairs and awards over 150 scholarships each year.
About LSU Shreveport
Founded in 1967, Louisiana State University Shreveport offers a wide array of nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including a doctoral degree. The university’s mission is to educate a diverse population of graduate and undergraduate students; engage in regional and global thought leadership through community collaboration and service; and innovate to enhance the application of knowledge and intellectual discovery through faculty and student research and creative endeavors.
