About the Donors
The Captain Keeton Chicken Money Scholarship was first awarded in 2011, funded by small donations from Jared and Tabitha Yates. Jared is a native of Meridian, Mississippi, the site of the 1935 Key Brothers record-setting flight involving Captain Keeton. Jared enrolled at Delta State University in the fall semester of 1999 and graduated with a Bachelor of Commercial Aviation Degree and Flight Operations Major in 2003. After graduation he worked at DSU in the Commercial Aviation department and earned a Master of Commercial Aviation degree in 2004. Jared first met James Keeton in 1992 at his home in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, through connections with family friends.
In 2023, a generous gift from the family and descendants of Captain Keeton made it possible to endow the scholarship, ensuring that the award will continue perpetually. As an endowed scholarship, awards are funded by the earnings of an investment with the DSU Foundation, instead of relying solely on yearly donor contributions. This allows the scholarship to reach farther into the future to support the next generation of aviators and honor the legacy of James Keeton for many years to come.
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