Willard Hendrix was a successful Nashville civic leader and businessman who had a great desire to bring qualified and dedicated faculty into contact with outstanding and deserving students. The establishment of the Hendrix Endowment Trust and the Hendrix Scholarship Competition are the fulfillment of one of Mr. Hendrix’s dreams. 

As the grandson of Bethel College President W.W. Hendrix, the younger Hendrix wanted to pay tribute to his grandfather, who had earned the reputation of outstanding educator. 

It was President Hendrix who reopened Bethel College on a new McKenzie, Tennessee campus after the Civil War. 

Willard Hendrix established the trust just two months before his death in August 1988. Since that time, students have been competing for the prestigous award.