Brooks Scholarship To Benefit WV Graduates
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Frank Berle Brooks’ commitment to hard work, family and community will live on through a new endowed scholarship at Northwest Mississippi Community College benefiting Water Valley High School graduates.
By Jillian Mitchell
SENATOBIA – A new endowed scholarship at Northwest Mississippi Community College will honor the late Frank Berle Brooks while helping future graduates of his alma mater.
The Frank Berle Brooks Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established by the Brooks family to honor his life, work ethic and commitment to his family and community. Beginning in fall 2027, the scholarship will be awarded to a Water Valley High School graduate attending Northwest.
Born and raised in Water Valley, Brooks spent his entire life in Yalobusha County, where he built a successful farming operation, established several businesses and developed a reputation for hard work and generosity.
After graduating from Water Valley High School, Brooks stepped in to take over the family business following the death of his mother and declining health of his father. He devoted himself at an early age to caring for both the family and its land.
Over the years, Brooks expanded his farming operation to nearly 2,000 acres. Cotton and soybeans were his primary crops, although he also grew peanuts during the early and mid-1980s.
Farming remained at the center of his life’s work, but Brooks pursued other business ventures. He owned and operated B&B International, an International Harvester business that served area farmers for many years before the company transitioned to Case International.
He later founded Brooks Construction, specializing in excavation and heavy equipment work. After operating the business for more than two decades, Brooks passed it to his grandson, Brandon Brooks.
When Brooks retired from farming, the operation passed to his brother, Travis, and son, Brad. Today, his grandson Justin continues the farming operation, extending the family’s agricultural tradition into a third generation.
Despite a busy career, Brooks remained involved in his hometown and community. He was an active member of First Baptist Church of Water Valley and served for many years on the Water Valley School Board.
A house fire in December 1990 forced the family to relocate outside the school district, ending his service on the local school board. Soon afterward, Brooks was appointed to represent Yalobusha County on the Northwest Mississippi Community College Board of Trustees, continuing his involvement in education.
The family’s connection to Northwest continued through later generations. His granddaughter, Brooks Hodge, attended Northwest, while grandson Brandon Brooks played baseball for the Rangers. Another grandson, Jordan, attended Northwest’s Oxford campus.
While Brooks enjoyed considerable success in farming and business, those closest to him remember his character more than his accomplishments.
His daughter said there was one thing everyone seemed to agree about: “He would give the shirt off his back for anyone.”
That generosity was especially evident in his devotion to his family. One of Brooks’ hopes was to see his family settled together around the family’s land and homes on County Road 225, an area they refer to as “The Home Place.”
The Brooks family established the scholarship as another way to continue his legacy of helping others. By directing it to graduates of Water Valley High School, the scholarship connects Brooks’ alma mater with the college he later served as a trustee.
Through the scholarship, his family hopes Brooks’ legacy of hard work, generosity and commitment to his community will continue through future generations of Water Valley students pursuing their education at Northwest.
