Saint Louis University has announced that two-$10,000 annual scholarships will be named in honor of longtime St. Louis community leader, civil rights pioneer, and St. Louis American newspaper publisher Donald M Suggs.
The Dr. Donald M. Suggs Scholarships will be awarded to two current students from historically underrepresented backgrounds who have financial need to complete their educations. The annual scholarships are part of the university’s commitment to increase racial and ethnic diversity on its St. Louis campus.
“Throughout his long and distinguished career, Dr. Suggs has worked tirelessly to support diversity and inclusion in the St. Louis area and beyond,” said Fred P. Pestello, president of St. Louis University. “We are pleased to announce these scholarships in his honor and proud that Dr. Suggs is a former SLU faculty member and honorary degree recipient.”
Dr. Suggs was born in East Chicago, Indiana, and attended the public schools there. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a doctor of dental medicine degree from Indiana University. He completed his postgraduate work at Washington University Dental School in St. Louis. Dr. Suggs served as chief of oral surgery at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and was the first African-American to be appointed an associate clinical professor of oral surgery at the Saint Louis University Dental School.
