The value of philanthropy is a characteristic that many MSU students demonstrate daily around campus. This past fall, the Panhellenic Council and the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority led an initiative to establish a new endowment in memory of MSU student Mary Beth Knox.
In the spring of 2007, Mary Beth, a supply chain management senior and member of Alpha Chi Omega, lost her fight with sarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue. Mary Beth was a young woman with a contagious smile, outgoing personality, commitment to community service and an enthusiastic passion for life. Throughout the progression of her disease, her courage was unparalleled, and nothing short of an inspiration to the MSU community.
Mary Beth brought the cancer struggle close to home. For Greek Week in 2007, she organized an event where the Greek System could donate platelets and plasma to patients in need. She gave a moving speech at the Greek Week Relay for Life annual fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, in which she remarked, “Up until I was diagnosed, I never realized the journey cancer patients face. It is filled with a roller coaster of good times and bad. You learn a lot about who you are, and what you’re capable of. You want nothing more than to survive, and strive to make a difference. I have always viewed Greek Week as a week of fun, singing, dancing, cheering and a chance to meet other members of the Greek system. And although it is all of those things I have mentioned, it is so much more. It is about raising money to make a difference and help in finding a cure.”
Seeking a way to memorialize Mary Beth, the sisters of Alpha Chi Omega and the Panhellenic Council funded The Mary Beth Knox Scholarship endowment this past fall. This scholarship will be awarded to one member of a sorority and one member of a fraternity each spring during Greek Week in memory of Mary Beth’s life. “If there was one thing Mary was passionate about, it was her education at MSU,” said Marcy A. Knox, Mary Beth’s twin sister and MSU alumna. This scholarship will celebrate her life by helping somebody else succeed and serves as an important reminder that cancer can strike anyone at any age.I think we often times forget that it can happen to us. Sarcoma is a very fast and aggressive cancer and it primarily affects the younger generations. This is a great way to promote awareness.”
For more information about making a gift to support The Mary Beth Knox Scholarship or Student Affairs and Services, contact Director of Development Ann Marie Lindley at (517) 355-7535.