Encouraging Loyola’s Students to Walk in Faith
Mary Agnes Sullivan Davison
After auditing theology classes at Loyola University New Orleans, Mary Agnes Sullivan Davison was inspired to include a generous gift in her will to Loyola University to fund a scholarship in her brother’s name. The Bat P. Sullivan Jr. Scholarship will be awarded annually to practicing Roman Catholic students. Mary passed away in 2016 at the age of 94.
When Mary returned to New Orleans, she audited classes at Loyola and the Notre Dame Seminary. Mary was particularly enamored with Loyola’s Reflective Age Program, which allowed her to audit classes in the Catholic Studies Program.
Mary and Bat were born and raised in New Orleans. Mary earned two degrees in chemistry from Newcomb and Tulane and a doctorate from MIT in 1950. She was the only woman in her class at MIT, and one of only 10 women who received a degree that year.
Bat was a 1936 graduate of Loyola. A WWII veteran, he practiced real estate law with the law firm of Monroe and Lemann in New Orleans. Bat died in 2004 at the age of 86.
According to Mary’s daughter, Anne Baden, “While the scholarship honors my Uncle Bat, it is driven by my mother’s twin passions for learning and spiritual growth.”
Anne notes that her mother’s love of learning, combined with her deep spiritual commitment led her to deepen her Catholic faith in adulthood through prayer, service, reading and study.
Mary’s estate gift to Loyola is a lasting tribute to her brother and will help shape students’ lives for generations to come.
For more information, contact Kevin Maney at 504-861-5442 or kmaney@loyno.edu.
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