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Rices Establish Scholarship to Benefit Music Majors

David and Martha Bailey Rice’s hope to keep classical music alive has been put in motion by the establishment of the Martha Margaret Bailey Rice Music Scholarship Fund at Mississippi University for Women. The scholarship is to be awarded in the fall 2007.

The scholarship will benefit a junior or senior music major, according to the Rices, who “hope more students will graduate in classical music.”

In 1997, the Rices established a charitable remainder trust, a plan that provides income for life. In 2006, David made the decision to give up the income and terminate the trust early. “I wanted Martha to see students benefit from the gift during our lifetime,” he says. “I knew what I wanted to do. I didn’t tell Martha.” David terminated their charitable remainder trust and used the proceeds from the trust to establish the Martha Margaret Bailey Rice Music Scholarship Fund to honor his wife, a retired music educator.

The Rices are excited about being able to assist students financially.

“This is something that you can do that keeps on lasting,” he says.

Martha, class of 1948, had a double major in music. “(MSCW) taught me everything I knew,” she says. Martha’s mother, Keety Herring, also attended MUW.

After graduating, Martha went on to teach in Charleston and share her talents, including choral music, voice, organ and piano.

“I enjoyed high school choral music and the little children,” Martha says. “You never learn it all, and you never get bored. It’s a great thing.”

She also shared her musical gifts while in Saudi Arabia for almost three years during David’s service to the Corps of Engineers.

David graduated from Mississippi State University, earning a degree in industrial engineering. He worked more than 31 years as a civilian employee for the Department of Defense.

The Rices have been married almost 57 years and reside in Tanner, Ala. They have one son, David Rice III, a dentist who lives and practices in Laurel, Miss., and two daughters, Beth Rice, an education administrator who lives and works in Sacramento, Calif., and Amy Rice Henry, a chemical engineer who resides in Mobile, Ala. David and Martha have five grandchildren.