Tom and Theo Tuck of Murray are sharing their love of horse riding and equine studies with Murray State University . Alumni of MSU, the Tucks have generously established several endowed scholarships and funds within the MSU School of Agriculture benefiting students in the areas of equine and rodeo studies. Additionally, the Tucks have named the MSU School of Agriculture the benefactor of a charitable remainder annuity trust, totaling their gifts to the MSU School of Agriculture to $2.2 million.

Tom and Theo believe in the future of the MSU and agriculture, saying, “As students of Murray State we both struggled to meet educational and living expenses while pursuing our educations. Over the years we watched the MSU School of Agriculture develop into the dynamic curriculum it is today. We wanted to ensure that development into the future, to benefit both the academic areas and the facilities that support those academics. We are grateful to be able to assist worthy students with financial needs reach for their dreams on a solid academic and professional experience platform.”

The Tucks scholarship endowments include the Tom and Theo Tuck Agriculture Scholarship Endowment for fulltime students pursuing a degree in agriculture, the Tom and Theo Tuck Equine Scholarship Endowment for fulltime students at involved in the equine program and the Tom and Theo Tuck Rodeo Scholarship Endowment for fulltime students involved in the MSU Rodeo Team. Other funds the Tucks have established are the Kentucky Rodeo & Horsemen’s Infrastructure Endowment to benefit the School of Agriculture programs in rodeo and equine studies and the Equine Owners & Breeders Fund for Excellence Endowment to benefit the expenses of individual students, clubs, conferences and equipment in the School of Agriculture .

“We are grateful for the very generous gifts Tom and Theo Tuck have made to Murray State ,” said Randy Dunn, MSU president. “It is heartening to have such strong support from these two remarkable alumni. Their gifts will create a lasting legacy in support of excellent teaching and learning in MSU’s School of Agriculture . We are honored by their gifts and salute their work and achievements in the equine industry.”

Dr. Tony Brannon, dean of the School of Agriculture says, “Fostering excellence, creating community and building partnerships, the Tom and Theo Tuck Endowments embody the very core of each of these current MSU themes. The gracious donation from the Tucks will allow us to promote the excellence of our agriculture students and programs through scholarships and student development projects. It will also allow us to expand services to students and supporters within our equine and rodeo communities with facility and programmatic improvements, and provide opportunities to build partnerships with others in our industry that can support our programs. Additionally, the trust will serve as an example of benevolent support of MSU and our School of Agriculture that hopefully many others will follow.  We are indeed thankful for this much needed and greatly appreciated gift.”  

Tom was born in Martin , Tenn. , and grew up in Mayfield , Ky. He attended MSU where he met his future wife Theo. He worked for General Tire in Mayfield for over 26 years, four years with Swift Environmental and seven years for Wood Electronics in Murray . He later received his license in property, casualty, life and health insurance and is currently employed by Adam Ford State Farm Insurance in Paducah .

Theo is a native of Louisville and a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville . She received her bachelor of science degree in agriculture science with an area in horticulture in 1975 from MSU and earned her master’s degree in agriculture science in 1978 from MSU. As a student, she was a member of the National Wildlife Society, the Horticulture Club, Alpha Kappa Psi business professional fraternity and Alpha Zeta. Theo was also a dorm director for Springer and later Elizabeth Hall, and she and Tom were the first married couple to live in Springer Hall.

After graduating from MSU, Theo worked for Ciba Geigy, operated a landscape design business, organized estate auctions and sold real estate. For two years, she taught horticulture at MSU as a guest lecturer. In 1986 she and Tom established Spring Creek Farms in Murray . A grain and Arabian horse breeding operation, they have bred Arabian and half Arabian horses for over 22 years. Tom and Theo participate in competitive trail riding and have shown their horses throughout the Midwest and the South in open and breed sanctioned shows. The Tucks currently own six Arabian horses, one Racking horse, two gaited half Arabians and one Quatrab, a cross between a Quarter and an Arabian horse. Their horses excel in western pleasure, hunter pleasure, dressage, working western, mounted native costume, trail pleasure and halter.

The Tucks have enjoyed meeting and riding with the families of horse owners through their many years of horse breeding production. They have been active with the Arabian Horse Association, MSU Rodeo Team, Kentucky Horse Council, Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and several area horsemen’s clubs.

Bob Jackson, associate vice president of development at MSU says, “Tom and Theo Tuck have signaled their support for the MSU School of Agriculture and its many programs of excellence through the establishment of this charitable trust. This planned gift of $2.2 million is one of the largest planned gifts the university has ever received and we are deeply grateful to Tom and Theo for their tremendous support of the university.”

The Tuck’s add, “The setup of this trust helps ensure our goal. Hopefully it will also stimulate others to think to the future development of the MSU School of Agriculture and endow the program with educational and facility monies. The agriculture and equine industries are the backbone of our state, present and future. Only with the foundation of education can students hope to achieve their professional goals.”

For more information on these scholarships and other endowments, contact the MSU Scholarship Office at 270-809-3225 or at scholarship.office@murraystate.edu.