Mary Lou Peyton

Mary Lou attended Industrial Institute and College (Class of 1916) and later taught part-time at Mississippi State College for Women (both earlier names for what is now known as The W) during World War II.

Her mother, Annie Coleman Peyton, was a founder of the university and professor of history from 1891 to 1898. She is the author of the W's motto, "We study for light to bless with light," which was adopted by the Peyton Literary Society in 1887 at her suggestion. In 1901, a stained glass window depicting the goddess Athena and featuring the motto was installed in the Orr Chapel and dedicated to her. She was the first woman inducted in the the Mississippi Hall of Fame.

The Mary Lou Peyton Scholarships are made possible by a bequest gift of more than $2 million by Ann Coleman Peyton, niece of Mary Lou Peyton and namesake of The W's founding mother.