Bessie Jean Ruley Kearns, PhD and Desmond P. Kearns have donated $170,000 to the McNeese State University Foundation. Their donations established two endowments – the Bessie Jean Ruley Kearns, PhD Scholarship and the Bessie Jean Ruley and Desmond Kearns Professorship. The scholarship is designated for graduate students who are pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing Education while the professorship will benefit a faculty member who teaches early childhood education (grades Pre-K to 3).
Bessie was born in Bell City, Louisiana, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics from McNeese in 1957. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and a doctorate from Florida State University. She began her career in education at McNeese teaching child development and established the university’s first preschool. She has spent her entire professional career in university teaching and international development in more than 30 developing countries.
Desmond is a native of Dublin, Ireland and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering from Imperial College London, a Master of Science degree in mining engineering and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the University of Arizona. He is a registered professional engineer and is admitted to practice law in the State of Arizona. As an engineer, he worked in both coal and metal mining in the U.S., Canada, Cyprus, England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as in consulting capacities in Australia, Africa, and Latin America. While practicing private law in Tucson, Arizona, he concentrated in natural resources, transactional and corporate law.
