This picture is of a “scholarship donkey” that was donated and sold at Louisiana Tech University Agricultural Sciences 41st annual Scholarship Auction. Animals including dairy heifers, beef cattle, swine, sheep and horses are usually sold at this auction. The purpose of this livestock sale is to raise scholarship funds for the current and incoming Louisiana Tech agricultural sciences students to help them further their educational experiences at Tech, as well as to raise money to keep the current Livestock units at Louisiana Tech going strong. This particular donkey raised money for a scholarship in honor of Mr. David Lee Hayes. The goal was to raise funds to a level where the scholarship could be endowed. Mr. David Lee Hayes was the Beef Cattle manager at Louisiana Tech for many years. He was a good, kind man who worked closely with the students. He made the students feel at home on South Campus, as well as making each of them feel special and wanted as a student. Mr. David Lee Hayes recognized that individuals learned in different ways and at different paces. He readily used this knowledge and educated students accordingly, so that each student could reach his or her own full potential. I did not personally know Mr. David Lee Hayes, but from the information I have heard from my parents and professors, I know that he was a special man and that God obviously used him as a friend and positive mentor for the Louisiana Tech students and faculty. This scholarship was created to honor him and to help students reach their educational goals, just as Mr. David Lee Hayes would have wanted. This adorable, little “scholarship donkey” raised over $10,000 thanks to the many generous contributions and donations of various individuals. Thank you all for your support. And if you have never been to Tech’s annual Scholarship Auction, mark your calendar for the first Saturday in May of 2012 and come support the Agricultural Sciences program. Writer: Dana Bennett