Henry Dennis Babers. Submitted photo
The lives and service of two University of Mississippi engineering alumni killed during the Vietnam War will not be forgotten, thanks to a new engineering scholarship exclusively for veterans and recently established by one of their classmates.
The Henry Dennis Babers and Phillips H. Izard Engineering Scholarship for Veterans was established with a generous donation from an anonymous Ole Miss engineering classmate and fellow Vietnam veteran.
The purpose of the endowment is to honor in perpetuity the memory of Babers, first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Izard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and to provide income to support deserving men and women in the UM School of Engineering. Recipients will be selected by the School of Engineering in consultation with UM’s Office of Veteran and Military Services.
Phillips H. Izard. Submitted photo
Originally from Gainesville, Florida, and a 1966 graduate in mechanical engineering, Babers was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps through the Ole Miss Navy ROTC program. He died in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, on Sept. 18, 1967, while serving with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.
Izard was a native of Fulton, Mississippi, and was commissioned in the Army Corps of Engineers through the Ole Miss Army ROTC program following his 1963 graduation in general engineering. He died in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam, on Aug. 8, 1968, while serving with the 39th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Group, 18th Engineer Brigade.
While at Ole Miss, both Babers and Izard held membership in the Scabbard and Blade military honor society.
“We are proud that an Ole Miss engineer, himself a veteran, felt compelled to anonymously establish this scholarship,” said School of Engineering Dean Dave Puleo. “This is a great way to recognize men and women who served our country and help further their education to become engineers and computer scientists.”
Those interested in donating to the Babers-Izard Engineering Scholarship for Veterans can do so here, or contact Greg Carter, engineering development officer in the UM Foundation, at gjcarter@olemiss.edu or at 662-915-3087.