This graduate fellowship in Crop and Soil Sciences is established in honor of Thomas and Catherine Hyslop, who met at WSU in the 1930s and raised a daughter and three sons. Tom and Catherine are part of a group of 18 direct family members who have attended WSU since 1904. They received the WSU Alumni Achievement Award in 1990 for “50 years of distinguished leadership and loyal service…to their alma mater.” The Hyslops were members of the WSU Alumni Association, the WSU Foundation, Stadium Builders, and major donors to the Lewis Alumni Centre. Tom was on the WSU Board of Regents from 1982 to 1984. Tom earned a B.A. in Agriculture, served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and then took over the Hyslop Family farm which he operated until his retirement. The Hyslop family owned their farm for over one hundred years. Tom was Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1950 and 1981, and the Spokane County Cattleman of the Year in 1953. He served on the Board of Directors of the Reardan Grain Growers for 21 years, serving as President from 1966-1973. He was also involved in FFA, Spokane County 4H, the Masonic Lodge, and the Inland Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Catherine had an active affiliation with Alpha Gamma Delta, she served as National Panhellenic Delegate-International Grand Council of AGD, National Panhellenic Collegiate Adviser to Colleges of the Pacific Northwest, 3rd Grand Vice President-International Grand Council, and Province President of AGD. She helped establish chapters at both at the U of I, and the University of Alberta, Canada. Through it all, Tom and Catherine held great respect for their education and a great love for WSU. It is their earnest hope that this Graduate Fellowship in Crop and Soil Sciences will be of benefit to future generations of WSU students, will help agriculture maintain its vital role as Washington State’s largest industry, and will thereby provide assistance to feed the world. They are survived by four children.
Award Requirements
The distributions from the endowment fund shall be used to provide fellowship stipends to graduate students in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, to be used by the recipient for such things including but not limited to tuition and fees, subsistence, research expenses, and other educationally related costs. Criteria for selection of recipients are: Research area in cereal grain crops that will benefit the state of Washington; United States citizens, with a preference for students who graduated from a high school in the state of Washington; Preference for students with a demonstrated intention to continue to reside in Washington and work for the benefit of Washington agriculture; Preference for students with demonstrated financial need; Preference for larger awards made to fewer students versus many smaller awards.