The Launa Boston Scholarship

The Launa Boston Scholarship has been established with the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation for a full-time undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Sociology who has a minimum GPA of 3.25. The ideal candidate will have a minimum grade point average of 3.25. This gift is made possible by Danny Boston.

Launa L. (Bonner) Boston earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Central in 1980 and then completed a Master’s degree in Social Gerontology in 1988. She earned her degree at UCM’s campus site which, at that time, was located in the Jewish Geriatric Center in Kansas City. She then went on to earn her MBA from Baker University. Launa was a true credit to the program and was quickly hired as a social services director in a long-term care facility and later became an outstanding administrator in various Kansas City suburban area skilled nursing facilities. Launa was not only a scholar and model service provider, but she made a difference in many people’s lives. News of her impact from friends, residents, and residents’ family members is not uncommon to former UCM faculty members and work colleagues. She was also a beloved wife and aunt and believed in giving back to others. Launa was very supportive of her sisters, nieces, and nephews in many ways.

Launa also gave back to the institution she loved. She began the Boston Scholarship, an annual award in social gerontology in 1997. Her generosity made it possible for social gerontology graduate students to continue their studies at the university she so loved. Launa lost a long and courageous battle with ovarian cancer in September, 2013. In her honor and memory, husband Danny Boston created the Launa Boston Scholarship endowment to preserve her legacy here at the University of Central Missouri. It is his hope, as it was hers, that future generations of graduates will experience the true spirit of generosity and make a positive mark in the world of social services.