Andrea and Martin Steward of Oil Trough have donated money to establish an endowed scholarship for Arkansas State University students emphasizing string music studies.
The gift to the Arkansas State University System Foundation, Inc., is for $25,000 to establish the Steward Family Endowed Scholarship, plus an additional $1,000 to provide awards during the first year while the endowment fund builds, according to Arkansas State University.
Full-time students who participate in the string music program will be given preference in the selection process for the Steward scholarship. Recipients may reapply for the scholarship each semester. A Department of Music faculty committee will choose each recipient.
The Steward family has had a close involvement with the university's music programs, beginning in the summer 1995 when Andrea Steward, a music educator, first accompanied a choir at the Arkansas State Choir Camp. She began graduate studies, completing requirements for a Master of Music degree in 2001.
Sons Jeffrey and Shelby Steward, who had started string lessons at an early age, began attending the university's summer Choir Camp, studied strings at ASU and played in the university's orchestra.