The Marvin and Jody Townsend Educational Fund Scholarship exemplifies the values of the Townsend family including listening to and respecting others, giving back to society through good deeds, civil leadership and community service, always speaking the truth, and making education a priority. Through this scholarship, they put those beliefs into action by helping students on their own paths to success in the fields that the Townsends experienced.
The Townsends are lifelong champions of education as demonstrated through their own educational and professional journeys, as well as by putting their three children and many of their grandchildren through many levels of higher education.
Jody (formerly Joanne Schwartz) joined the first journalism class at Tyler Junior College taught by Dr. Blanche Prejean and became the editor of the newspaper. In addition to her contributions as newspaper editor, she was in the 5th and 6th lines of the Apache Belle drill team. She continued her education beyond Tyler Junior College and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. After college, she was a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller Times, as well as involved in various women’s, church, philanthropy and civic organizations in Corpus Christi, Laredo and Austin.
Marvin earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University. Later, as the City Manager of Corpus Christi, he was instrumental in working with the University of Corpus Christi / Texas A&I (1973) and Corpus Christi State University (1977), which became Texas A&M Corpus Christi in 1989.
Marvin’s influence extends well beyond one city. After Corpus Christi, he served as the first city manager of Laredo and later helped strengthen local governments statewide through the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool. He later served as interim city manager for multiple Texas cities, advised south and Central Texas communities on all areas of city government, and was awarded a Life and Distinguished Member Award from the Texas City Managers Association.
Together, Marvin and Jody Townsend model what it looks like to invest in education by learning, serving, and providing opportunities for others to succeed. This scholarship continues that commitment by supporting students who value public service, communication, and the desire to give back to their communities.