Future Brookhaven High School and Brookhaven Academy graduatesplanning to pursue a technical degree at Mississippi StateUniversity may soon have help doing so, thanks to the recentdonation of a BHS alumnus.

Brookhaven School District Superintendent Lea Barrett announcedTuesday that David Swalm, a Brookhaven native, donated $5 millionto Mississippi State University. Swalm specified that $4 million beused for scholarships for BHS graduates and $1 million for BAgraduates who have at least a 3.0 grade point average and plan toenter a technical field of study.

“We are just thrilled and so appreciative of the opportunitythat’s going to provide for some of our students,” Barrett said. “Icould not think of a better legacy for anyone to leave than to helpanother individual achieve his or her dream.”

BA Headmaster Dr. Miller Hammill also expressed appreciation forthe aid to BA graduates.

“We are excited and thankful that the Swalms saw it fit toinclude our students in the scholarship program at MississippiState University,” Hammill said.

Hammill said Swalm decided to include BA after a recent visit tothe school.

“He was evidently impressed with what we were doing here,”Hammill said.

Swalm, who now lives in Texas, devised a process that refineswaste generated at oil refineries and turns it into a marketableproduct.

Dr. Prentiss Smith, chairman of the Brookhaven School District’sboard of trustees, said the board was delighted to hear about theeffort to assist BHS graduates.

He said he believes the donation reflects upon the positiveexperience Swalm had in Brookhaven.

“This is great for Brookhaven High School students as well asthe community,” he said. “I think it’s wonderful that hisexperience of getting a good education in a positive environmentstimulated him to do this. It just reflects on the past history ofBrookhaven High School.”

Smith said he hopes BHS faculty will continue to have such animpact on students while encouraging them to continue theireducation after high school.

The exact criteria for receiving scholarship money are stillbeing worked out, but information will be available to studentsthrough school counselors, education officials said.