Foundation honors TWU alumna with $1M endowment

July 6, 2026 ― DENTON ― Mabel Scofield Maddox was civically engaged, a leader, an athlete and an art lover by the time she graduated from Texas Woman’s 100 years ago, and now a New Mexico foundation that she co-founded has created a $1 million endowment to support scholarships for future TWU students who follow in her footsteps. 

The Hobbs, N.M.-based JF Maddox Foundation this month finalized the gift, which will begin generating scholarships for TWU students in 2027. 

“This endowment honors Mabel’s personality and the life she led,” said Catherine Maddox Walton, the foundation’s board chair. Mabel Maddox and her husband, Jack, launched the foundation in 1963. They were Walton’s great aunt and great uncle. The foundation supports organizations involved with education, social programs and community development.

The scholarships will be open to all students, but preference will be given to first-generation students who demonstrate financial need and to those who pursue degrees in fields related to science, technology, engineering, arts, English literature/language, mathematics, nursing or the health sciences.

Walton said that Mabel Maddox, herself a first-generation higher education student, understood how important access is to those individuals who are the first in their families to attend college. She graduated in 1926 with a bachelor’s degree in literature.

“She had a lot of other interests, too, and we wanted to tap into that as well,” Walton added.

While attending what was then called the College of Industrial Arts, Mabel Maddox participated in numerous student organizations and activities that reflected her intellectual curiosity and commitment to campus life. She was involved in the Camera Club, Student Council, the YWCA Athletic Association and Chemistry Club. 

Maddox also served as a student photographer for the campus publication, “The Public Press,” documenting student life during a formative era in the university’s history. Her literary interests were expressed through membership in the Robert Louis Stevenson Club and the Athenaeum Club, two literary societies that fostered discussion, writing and appreciation for literature.

Walton said her great aunt and uncle had a deep appreciation for higher education, which became a significant part of their philanthropic efforts. 

“She and Jack saw it as a gateway to a better life,” Walton said. “The JF Maddox Foundation is pleased to continue their legacy in a way that honors Mabel and the pioneering spirit of TWU.”

Page last updated 3:03 PM, July 6, 2026