Gift creates memorial fund for OTC board founding member

The OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of Ozarks Technical Community College, received a $50,000 legacy gift from Dolores Brooks and her husband, Alden. Dolores Brooks, a founding member of the OTC Board of Trustees, died Oct. 12 at the age of 85, and Alden Brooks died in December 2010.

The gift has been used to establish the Dolores and Alden Brooks Memorial Fund.

"Mrs. Brooks was a vital part of OTC from the beginning, and we are honored that she chose to continue to support the college in this way," OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon said in a news release. "This gift makes it possible for Mrs. Brooks to have an impact on the college and on our students for years to come."

Dolores Brooks served as the first president of the OTC board 1990-92 and held the position again 2002-03. She was named a trustee emeritus when she retired in 2010.

In 2006, Brooks co-chaired the school's presidential search committee, which selected Higdon from his position as vice president for administration at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In that same year, Brooks was named among Springfield Business Journal's Most Influential Women, according to SBJ archives.

A lifelong educator, Brooks served as the first female high school principal in Springfield when she took the post at Parkview High in 1983.

"Education was a significant part of Mrs. Brooks' life," said Cliff Davis, executive director of the OTC Foundation, in the release. "This legacy gift, and memorial fund it has established, provides an opportunity for Mrs. Brooks to remain dedicated to education even after her passing."
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