Fund honoring Daniel Clyde Hughes Jr. will help business students, Eagle Scouts

By Tina H. Hahn
UM Communications

The legacy of a successful business professional and alumni leader at the University of Mississippi is being expanded with a $1 million scholarship endowment in his name, carrying on his goal of helping others earn business degrees.

Directing the gift from the estate of Daniel Clyde Hughes Jr. to the university are his four children: Carrie Hughes of Brandon; Christy Hughes McHenry of Jackson; Daniel C. Hughes III of Oxford; and Catherine Hughes Crockett of Nashville.

“My sisters and I felt that establishing a scholarship was the best way to honor our father’s spirit of giving back to others by enabling students to better themselves through an education,” Daniel Hughes said.

“Dad recognized the importance and benefits of a good education. So, in 1983, he established a scholarship to pay tribute to his parents, both of whom were Ole Miss graduates.

“He would hear from these students thanking him for his generosity and sharing how these scholarships had given them opportunities they otherwise would not have had. Dad saved all the thank-you letters he received and was grateful to have played a part in making a difference in their lives.”

The Daniel C. Hughes Jr. School of Business Administration Scholarship Endowment is designated for entering Mississippi freshmen with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average. First preference will be given to Eagle Scouts or Girl Scout Gold Award recipients, as Hughes, his son and four grandsons all achieved the rank of Eagle.

Recipients who remain in good academic standing may receive the scholarship for up to eight semesters. Once the endowment matures, a minimum of 10 scholarships of $4,000 annually will be awarded.

“We want this scholarship to attract bright Mississippi students to the School of Business Administration in the hope that the recipients will be well-prepared with a high-quality education that will benefit them and their home state,” Hughes said.

Ken Cyree, dean of the business school – where Hughes was a founding member of the Business Advisory Board – praised the family for directing the estate gift to scholarships.

“Dan had such a long, respected history with the School of Business Administration; these scholarships will extend his wonderful legacy by providing students with exceptional educational opportunities similar to those he enjoyed,” Cyree said. “And hopefully, these students will follow in his footsteps by building rewarding careers and embracing lifelong relationships with their alma mater.”

The elder Hughes loved everything about Ole Miss, Daniel Hughes said. “He grew up attending Ole Miss football games with his parents,” he said. “He continued this tradition with his children and grandchildren, cherishing happy times with family and friends in the Grove. There was never a time when Ole Miss was not a part of his life.

“He wanted to study business, so he knew Ole Miss would be the best place for him. As a student, he embraced campus life, enjoying academics, sports and his fraternity. This is where he made lifelong friends.”

Before graduating in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Hughes received the Haskins and Sells Foundation Award for Excellence in accounting and finished at the top of his class. The Macon native was a member of several honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective interdisciplinary honor society.

He began his career in Jackson with the accounting firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co. and became a CPA. He accepted financial positions with a number of other companies before establishing his own companies, for which he served as CEO over asset management, securities and property development.

“Dad’s success was highly impacted by his education at Ole Miss and contacts he made while there,” Hughes said. “His innate drive and the high standards of excellence were also instrumental in his business success.”

An outdoorsman and hunter, the elder Hughes provided leadership for many conservation and wildlife organizations. He owned and developed farms, timberland and hunting properties for the benefit of wildlife, helping to conserve their habitats.

Hughes served on the Ole Miss Alumni Association Board of Directors and was a past president of the Business School Alumni Association. He also participated in the university’s sesquicentennial campaign.

“Dad stayed engaged in Ole Miss throughout his life,” his son said. “He had seen the benefits of a good business education and he wanted to share his knowledge and expertise in hopes of helping others.

“Three of his four children graduated from the Ole Miss business school, and he had two grandsons in attendance at the time of his death (March 11, 2022). He passed on his love for Ole Miss to his children and grandchildren.”

Grandsons Hughes, William and Harry McHenry are all Ole Miss students, and Christopher McHenry is a high school senior.

To make a gift to the Daniel Clyde Hughes Jr. School of Business Administration Scholarship Endowment, send a check, with the name written in the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655; or give online here.

For more information on how to support the School of Business Administration, contact Patrick Salter, associate director of development, at psalter@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2712.