MUNCIE, Ind. - Two scholarships have been established at Ball State University to honor Larry and Mary Lou Conrad, a couple who contributed leadership to Indiana politics and education.

The Mary Lou and Larry A. Conrad Scholarship provides renewable scholarships to incoming freshman students with demonstrated leadership skills. The fund was established with a gift of $175,000 from the Ball State University Foundation at the request of the university Board of Trustees.

The Mary Lou Hoover Conrad Music Scholarship provides renewable awards to incoming freshmen entering the School of Music. Preference is given to students majoring in keyboard and voice. The fund was established with gifts currently totaling $7,000 from the Hoover and Conrad families.

Friends of the Conrads have contributed to both funds.

Both scholarships represent the influence of the Conrads on the state and university. The Conrads, both 1957 graduates of Ball State, were civic leaders.

Larry, a native of Laconia in Harrison County, earned his J.D. in 1961 from Indiana University, where he was a classmate of Birch Bayh. Conrad practiced law with a Muncie firm and became campaign manager for Bayh and later legislative assistant. From 1964-69 he was chief counsel to the U.S. Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments and helped to write the 25th Amendment to the Constitution.

Conrad was elected Secretary of State in 1970 and re-elected in 1974. He lost a race to become governor in 1980 and became the co-chairman of the Indiana for Carter Committee. He worked for Melvin Simon & Assoc., an Indianapolis developer of shopping malls, and was influential in rebuilding downtown Indianapolis and the city's sports development. He died in 1990.

Mary Lou, a Fort Wayne native, earned a degree in business education and library science. She was actively involved in politics and her husband's campaigns. Her love and talent for music helped her write lyrics for Birch Bayh's 1962 senatorial campaign theme song to the tune of "Hey, Look Me Over."

She was a librarian for Lawrence Township schools, a volunteer for public broadcasting, and vice president of national sales for Personal Shopper Services for 20 years. She was a member of the Ball State Board of Trustees from 1985 until her death in 1999.

The Conrads had four children, Jeb, Andrew, Jody and Amy. Jody Conrad and his wife Amy (Lubert) both graduated from the university in 1987 and 1989 respectively.