Endowed scholarship created to honor NSU alum

(Tahlequah, Okla.)--On Friday, Feb. 26, at the Premiere Advisors Group annual awards banquet, Northeastern State University alumnus, Larry Dotson, 71, was recognized as the Associate of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that Dotson has received this honor.

To recognize his achievement, Premiere Advisors Group and Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company announced the creation of the Larry Dotson Excellence in Financial Planning endowed scholarship at NSU.

This decision was to not only honor Larry for all his hard work, but to also show that were making a serious commitment to NSU, Micky Butler, sales manager at Premiere Advisors Group said. We really like NSU students. They come with a very focused plan after graduation. We want to raise awareness for this path as a career possibility.

The scholarship will be awarded to one NSU senior per year in the amount of $1,000, $500 per semester.Following submission of an application, applicants will be required to take an assessment through Premiere Advisors Group, and then, if selected students will be asked to write an essay on why they would like to pursue a career in Financial Planning.A committee has been formed to select the recipient of the scholarship from the essays submitted.

We wanted to honor Larry because he has such a heart for helping people, Butler said. He always puts himself second, and his clients really win because of this attitude that he has. It permeates through his staff as well.

Dotson graduated from NSU in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, and currently owns Dotson Financial Services in Tahlequah.Dotsons wife, Linda, is also a graduate of NSU, 72, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. While managing his own financial consultation firm, Dotson also served for 20 years on the Tahlequah Fire Department, where he retired as chief. Remaining active with NSU, Dotson serves on the Investment and Executive committee for the NSU Foundation Board, and has been of member of the NSU Foundations Board of Directors since 2005.

During his time at NSU as a student, Dotson was a member of the football team, where he set many school records, several of which stand today, as a kicker.

I am so honored and so blessed. My company has been around since 1847 and this is the first time the company has ever done anything like this, Dotson said. Im so committed to NSU. I bleed green. Most of my kids graduated there. I just have a high allegiance to the university. To be a member of the NSU Athletic Hall of Fame and to now have this given in my honor, its just a huge blessing.

The scholarship is also currently set up to accept donations in honor of Dotson.

For more information about the Larry Dotson Excellence in Financial Planning endowed scholarship, contact Erin Feller, Alumni Association development officer, at 918-444-4214 or fellerel@nsuok.edu.