90-year-old donor keeps decades-long scholarship going in honor of late husband
A scholarship that's been awarded to students for nearly four decades in the South Dakota State University Department of Natural Resource Management is possible because of a generous donor’s support over the years.
98-year-old Nelda Holden established the David J. Holden Scholarship in 1988 in honor of her late husband, a longtime SDSU professor and botany department head. David Holden received his bachelor’s degree from then-South Dakota State College in 1950 and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, both in botany.
After they got married, the Holdens moved to Brookings in 1956. David Holden was a professor of biology at SDSU, serving for 31 years in the department from 1956-1988. He was also head of the Department of Botany from 1958 to 1967.
When David Holden passed away in 1988, Nelda Holden wanted to give back to ecology students at SDSU. She decided to establish a scholarship, which is administered through the South Dakota Ornithologist’s Union.
Watch the full story below:
