Scholarship

Jim Rivers Golf Scholarship Established at Louisiana Tech
By Keith Prince

The Jim Rivers Senior Invitational Golf Tournament began a strong relationship with Squire Creek this spring and now there is also an important tie-in with Louisiana Tech University.

Debbie Rivers, wife of the late Jim Rivers and an outstanding golfer/instructor herself, recently announced the formation of the annual James H. Rivers Endowed Scholarship in Golf at Tech, from where Rivers graduated and played collegiate golf.

Both Jim and Debbie Rivers won Louisiana state amateur titles during illustrious golf careers.

Tech golf coach Dr. Jean Hall accepted the new Rivers scholarship and said, "We are extremely grateful that Jim Rivers is again becoming a part of the Tech golf program.

"Jim was an outstanding player and the team captain under coach Joe Aillet while he was earning a business degree here from 1953-56. In fact, Tech lost only four of 43 dual matches it played during Jim’s years at Tech and won the Gulf States Conference championship every year," said Hall.

The Rivers Endowed Scholarship in golf will help fund a player scholarship each year and the first one will be received by current Tech all-WAC performer Matthew Harvey, who grew up in Monroe where both Jim and Debbie Rivers have helped promote and advance the game of golf for many years.

Jim Rivers was extremely involved in many community projects in Monroe throughout his life and an endowed golf scholarship in his name is also in place at ULM.

Debbie Rivers said, "This scholarship at Louisiana Tech University is something I know Jim would be excited about. He always treasured his years at Tech, the relationships he formed there, the education he received and the wonderful days of golf he had with his teammates under Coach Joe Aillet."