The Mervin Bovaird Foundation’s generous support has strengthened academic excellence at The University of Tulsa for many years, especially through the Bovaird Foundation Annual Scholarships, the Mervin Bovaird Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Endowment Fund, the Mervin Bovaird Endowed Professor of Energy Business, and the Mervin Bovaird Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund for the Health Sciences.
The story of these gifts began in Scotland in 1853, when an 18-year-old coal miner’s son, David Bovaird, left his homeland for a new life in Pennsylvania. He eventually owned a general store in a coal mining town and married another immigrant, Mary McClenahan, from County Derry, Ireland. Fearful their children would end up working in the mines, Mary insisted that David find a different occupation in another town. He became a teaming contractor, hauling coal from the mines and oil from the fields. In 1871, he and a partner began successfully manufacturing oil well supplies, eventually locating in Bradford, Pa.
In 1897, he formed his own firm with another partner and two of his sons, J.H. and William J. Bovaird. Six years later, William J. relocated to Independence, Kan., where he established Bovaird Supply Co. The venture eventually expanded to Sapulpa and Tulsa where it became an iconic business. William J.’s sons, Mervin, Frank and Davis “D.D.” Bovaird, continued their family legacy, with Mervin taking a leading role after World War I and serving as the company’s president until his death.
During the firm’s 100th anniversary in 1971, the Tulsa World wrote a short company history. In it, D.D. Bovaird gave much credit to his brother, Merve, for the company’s growth during the first half of the 20th century. “Merve was the key,” he told a reporter. “It was from his leadership that the company developed from a two-store – that is, two-location – operation into one of multiple locations.” D.D. said that Merve was “the head of the operation” and was the one who was “well-known and well-liked around Tulsa and everywhere.”
In 1949, Mervin Bovaird suffered an untimely death at age 59. Mabel W. Bovaird established the Mervin Bovaird Foundation in 1955 to honor and remember her husband. The foundation’s guiding principles are to receive and administer funds for scientific, educational, and charitable purposes for the welfare of the public. Since its creation, the Mervin Bovaird Foundation has helped dozens of organizations.
The Mervin Bovaird Foundation continues to extend the philanthropic legacy of its namesake, just as his wife intended when she established the organization. At TU, Bovaird Scholarships provide funding for 40-60 undergraduate students each year who are deserving Tulsa public school or community college graduates.
The foundation also established the Mervin Bovaird Center for Molecular Biology/Biotechnology Endowment Fund and provided substantial support to build the Mabee Legal Information Center and the Boesche Legal Clinic at the TU College of Law. The clinic is named for Fenelon Boesche who served as president of the Mervin Bovaird Foundation from its inception until his death in 1993.
In 2007, the foundation created an endowed professorship in the Collins College of Business, which is known as the Mervin Bovaird Foundation Endowed Professorship in Business.
In 2022, the Mervin Bovaird Foundation extended its reach into another academic area, creating an endowed scholarship fund for students majoring in the health sciences. The Mervin Bovaird Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund for the Health Sciences provides financial assistance to well-qualified undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in TU’s Mary K. and John T. Oxley College of Health Sciences and majoring in a health-related discipline.
The University of Tulsa community is grateful for the significant support of the Mervin Bovaird Foundation and its role in helping the university achieve ambitious goals in support of our students and programs across multiple academic disciplines.
