Meet Our Donors
Drs. David L. and Gemma D. Beckley
David L. Beckley, Rust Class of 1967 and the longest tenured senior college president in Mississippi, was appointed the 11th president of Rust College (Holly Springs, MS) on January 16, 1993, and assumed the position on July 1, 1993. Prior to his appointment at Rust College, he served as 12th president of Wiley College (Marshall, TX) from 1987 until 1993.
Dr. Beckley earned both his M.Ed. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Mississippi. He is a 2010 graduate of the FBI Citizen’s Academy and a U. S. Army veteran with service in Vietnam from 1970 until 1971.
Dr. Gemma D. Beckley is Distinguished Trustee Professor of Social Work and chair of the Rust College Social Work Program. She earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University, the Master of Social Work degree from Atlanta University, and the Doctorate of Social Work from Columbia University.
The Beckleys are the proud parents of two children, Jacqueline B. Lampley of Birmingham, AL; and Dr. Lisa B. Roberts of Jackson, MS. They are the grandparents of two, David Roberts and Christian S. Lampley.
The Beckleys have endowed a named scholarship which will be counted in the Mississippi Annual Conference endowment campaign for Africa University.