Leroy Barrows Scholarship

The Leroy Barrows Scholarship is available through the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation for a junior or senior student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Education degree at UCM who has a minimum GPA of 3.0, be recommended by two faculty members, and submit a written statement. This scholarship is made possible by way of a gift from Colleen Hancock, wife of Leroy Barrows.

Leroy Barrows graduated from Central Methodist College in 1950. He received his Master’s and Doctor’s degrees in 1963. He devoted a lifetime to his love of the educational process, serving the field in positions from classroom teacher to district superintendent to university dean. In 1970, Dr. Barrows assumed the position of Dean of the School of Education at Central Missouri State University, where he served until his death in 1978.

One of the obvious facts about great teachers is that none of them is in the job primarily for the money. Teachers want a living wage as much as the next person, but they teach out of an inner need to see people change through the enhancing power of knowledge. The gift Lee Barrows had as an educator was his enthusiasm for the process. He made those around him wonder if teaching isn’t what they should have done with their lives.

Dr. Barrows was quoted as saying, “The most pernicious phrase in the language is, ‘Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.’” In responding to this concern, we can undo it with the philosophy of Sophocles: “The ideal condition would be, I admit, that men should be right by instinct; But since we are all likely to go astray, the reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach.”
He was married to Colleen Barrows Hancock, and they had three children (Patricia Maines, Jack Barrows, and Jeffrey Barrows), all of whom earned degrees from CMSU. What all of his family remember about Leroy was his love for education and children, and his love for his family. He would be honored to have this scholarship named for his life’s work.