Dr. Paul D. Ruffin Memorial

This scholarship is dedicated in loving memory of my father, Dr. Paul D. Ruffin, a lifelong scholar and champion of education. He was a Texas State University System Regents’ Professor; Distinguished Professor of English at Sam Houston State University; 2009 Texas State Poet Laureate; founding editor of Sam Houston State University’s literary journal, the Texas Review Press; a published novelist and poet; and my dad. He inspired, mentored, and entertained students at Sam Houston from 1975 until the day of his suicide in April 2016. His legacy lives on through his writing, the continued success of the Texas Review Press, a commemorative placard on the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Wall of Honor, and the stories shared by those who loved him.