About the scholarship
The Mary Spinks-Thigpen Oratorical Scholarship was established to honor the continued legacy of Mrs. Mary Spinks-Thigpen. Known as an advocate and trailblazer for African Americans across the MS Gulf Coast, Mrs. Thigpen continues to be an inspiration to our community. Along with being well-known in the Gulfport community of Forest Heights, she has dedicated countless passionate years to Gulfport’s African-American communities and its youth. Most notably, Mrs. Thigpen faithfully served for years the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Gulf Coast Forest Heights Center, as well as a founding and influential member of the Coast-Wide Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Celebration. In recognition of Mrs. Thigpen empowering the youth of our communities, we honor her as the namesake of this Oratorical Scholarship.