NBA player Anthony Tolliver, Drury announce endowed scholarship in honor of his late mother

Anthony Tolliver and Drury University announced an endowed scholarship in the name of the local basketball legend's late mother.

Tolliver's mother, Donna Lewis, was a Drury alumna and earned her bachelor of arts in elementary education in 1975 and her master's in special education in 1984, both from Drury. She then dedicated 32 years to education in the Springfield Public School system, teaching at Central and Hillcrest.

“What better way to honor a woman who was all about education, giving back and selflessness, than to help kids through school,” Tolliver said at the ceremony. “At her funeral, there was person after person who stood up and talked about how Donna Lewis changed their lives. From that day, it’s become my personal mission to use everything I have to help other people and try to continue to build on her legacy.”

A release sent Friday from the university said Lewis had a passion for service and passed the value on to her children. She stressed the importance of positivity and believing you can accomplish whatever they set out to do. "Say you can" was her motto and words Tolliver has lived by. She passed away in 2008.

“Creating an endowed scholarship in a loved one’s name is a beautiful way to honor them,” Marie Muhvic, executive vice president for university advancement, said in a release. “It’s a way to carry on their legacy and memory for generations to come, but it’s also so much more. It’s a way to lift up a student and provide an opportunity for a better future that they might not have otherwise.”

Tolliver is one of the more recognizable names in southwest Missouri sports history. He attended school at Kickapoo and played on one greatest area high school teams of all time. He was one of four players on his Kickapoo team that played Division I basketball. His senior year in 2002-03 was ranked 12th by USA Today at the season's end while also winning a state championship. He then went on to Creighton before a lengthy NBA career.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.