Louise M. Monez Hill never forgot the aunt who funded her college education during the Great Depression. Later in her life, Hill wanted to pay it forward to a new generation of students, designating a $2 million estate gift to establish a new endowed scholarship fund at Centenary University.

The Grace Y. Bissett and Louise Monez Hill Scholarship Fund will be named in honor of the donor and her aunt, Grace Bissett, a businesswoman who owned an upscale dress shop and provided the opportunity for Hill and her brother to attend college.

Hill, who passed away on Jan. 28, 2019, was a 1940 graduate of Centenary Junior College, a precursor of the current University. The diversity-based scholarship will support the education of students with financial need who intend to pursue a career in teaching, religion, social work, or a similar field, and who are devoted to improving racial relations.