William Thomas McHugh and Lou Gower McHugh Scholarship Fund Grant

William Thomas McHugh and Lou Gower McHugh Scholarship Fund Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Last Updated: August 26, 2025

Summary

The William Thomas McHugh and Lou Gower McHugh Scholarship Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, supports students from Middle Tennessee attending accredited law schools. It honors Bill McHugh's legacy, a devoted lawyer and veteran. Applicants must maintain a C average and preference is given to those attending Cumberland School of Law. This scholarship aims to promote legal education and uphold the values of integrity and service in the legal profession.

Overview

About Us For over 30 years, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has been driving meaningful, positive change in our community. We do this by bringing together those who want to help and those who need help. Through the power of collective philanthropy, our goal is to amplify donor intent while remaining flexible enough to ensure that resources are directed to where they can do the greatest good. We know the greater Nashville area. We understand its neighborhoods, its most pressing challenges, its unsung nonprofit heroes, and its emerging partnerships with the greatest potential. As our region continues to rapidly change, that knowledge gives us a unique vantage point to bring people and places together to do what none of us can do on our own—build a more thriving and inclusive community. Mission Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee strives to build a more thriving and inclusive community — today and for generations to come — by transforming thoughtful generosity into positive change. William Thomas McHugh and Lou Gower McHugh Scholarship Fund Bill McHugh was a “lawyer’s lawyer.” He practiced his noble profession with skill and integrity for more than 55 years. After serving in the U. S. Air Force during World War II, he returned to Nashville and enrolled at Cumberland School of Law. “Bill loved the law and his many friends and clients loved him deeply. I want his record of service to our system of justice to endure, as well as his legacy as a ‘lawyer’s lawyer.’ What better way to honor the memory of this modest but accomplished attorney than to help others who seek to serve our legal system,” said his devoted wife of 57 years, Lou Gower McHugh. As a result, students from Middle Tennessee who are working their way through law school or who plan to enroll in any accredited school of Law, any school of Law approved by the Tennessee Supreme Court, with preference given to those attending Cumberland School of Law of Samford University, are eligible to apply.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The William and Lou Gower McHugh Scholarship is for students from Middle Tennessee who plan to attend or are working their way through any accredited school of Law or any school of Law approved by the Tennessee Supreme Court. Eligible students must be preparing for a career in the legal profession and if already enrolled in law school, must be maintaining a C average or better.