Two estate gifts totaling $817,000 will create scholarships at Ball State to assist the visually impaired and students from Randolph County.

The Myra Jean Bush Fund was recently established through a $500,000 gift from an anonymous donor. The fund will assist visually impaired students admitted or enrolled at the university, paying for tuition, housing, books, supplies, educational materials and other equipment, resources and materials to assist the visually impaired.

Ball State has about 500 students identified as disabled, 30 of which are visually impaired, said Larry Markle, director of Ball State's disabled student development office. 

"There is terrific technology available for students with visual impairments, but the equipment to help them can be expensive," he said. "Whether it is supporting students by purchasing equipment or through scholarship money, I look forward to sharing this wonderful gift."

Bush, who died July 4, graduated in 1928 from what was then Ball State Teachers College. She was born in Muncie in 1905 and graduated from Muncie Central High School. Bush was a school teacher at Eugene Field and Wilson Elementary in Muncie and Lincoln Elementary School in LaPorte. 

The Eunice M. Davisson Scholarship was recently created from a $317,000 gift from the estate of Davisson, who died in 2001. The fund will provide scholarships for students attending Ball State from Randolph County.

Davisson, a resident of Greenville, Ohio, at the time of her death, earned her bachelor's degree in 1949 and her master's degree in 1955 from Ball State Teachers College. She worked as a teacher in Baltimore, Md., before retiring.

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Amy Thomas, associate vice president for endowment and planned gift stewardship for the Ball State Foundation, at (765) 285-7068.)