The Hummadi Family Endowed Scholarship was established by Dr. Abdul Amir and Veronica Hummadi in 2006.

Most people who know Dr. Al Hummadi would describe him as friendly and out going. They would also tell you that Dr. Hummadi is a man who loves his family, his homeland of Iraq, and his adopted homeland, the United States of America.

Abdul Amir Al Hummadi was born in Iraq in 1931, in the ancient city of Babylon. His father passed away when he was young and it fell to his mother to raise the children. The area where Hummadi grew up was very poor. During World War I many men from his home town were taken away to fight in the country of Turkey, few ever returned. Later, battles fought in the area during WWII left the country’s infrastructure in shambles.

The 1930s and 40s were difficult years for the citizens of Babylon. There were few opportunities for work and even less for those wishing to acquire an education. That is why in 1950 Hummadi accepted an offer from the government of Iraq to travel to America to attend Oklahoma State University (OSU). At that time the new government of Iraq was working to rebuild the nation. To achieve that goal it was sending young men and women to universities around the world. The government agreed to pay all expenses as long as the students promised to bring the knowledge they had acquired back to Iraq to help rebuild the nation.

“Before I left Babylon my neighbors collected money to buy me a suit. They were not wealthy people but they gave because they wanted to give me every opportunity to succeed. The memory of their generosity has always been with me,” said Dr. Hummadi. “Later when I moved to Carthage, my family and I were impressed with the school system, the college, the health care facilities and especially the friendliness of our new home town. The generosity and kindness shown to us over the years have been a blessing. Establishing this scholarship is our way of giving back to the communities that have been so supportive over the years. We hope that it will provide young men and women the assistance they need to be successful.”

It was difficult for the nineteen year old Hummadi to leave his family, friends and the only life he had ever known behind. He had intended to follow his mother’s urging to, “go as far as you have to, to get an education but do not go as far as Turkey,” but now he would be traveling to the United States, well beyond the borders of Iraq.

Hummadi began classes in 1950 at Northeastern A&M Jr. College in Miami, Oklahoma. Later that year he met Veronica Brooks in Commerce, Oklahoma. They were married in 1956. In 1958 Hummadi graduated from OSU with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, and Veronica graduated from Muskogee Baptist Nursing School as a registered nurse.

True to his word Hummadi returned to Iraq to teach veterinary medicine at the University of Baghdad. It was then that he learned that his mother had passed way in his absence. His family had decided to delay telling him for fear that he would return home and lose his opportunity in America.

Dr. Hummadi and his family lived and worked in Iraq until 1963 when the government was overthrown. Not to long after the revolution officials of the new government of Iraq ordered the arrest of thousands of its citizens, including Dr. Hummadi. It was only through the efforts of the American Embassy that he was able to regain his freedom. Shortly there after, he returned to America and went to work for the USDA in the Department of Food Safety and Health.

In 1967 Dr. Hummadi was selected to be the USDA’s Veterinarian Medical Officer for a new chicken plant being built in Carthage. Later that year Dr. and Mrs. Hummadi and their four children, David, Muna, Janan and Julie moved to Carthage. Each child went on to graduate from high school and later college. Today the Hummadis have eight grandchildren, and they recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

The Hummadi Family Endowed Scholarship was established with a gift of $7,500. Interest earned from this endowment will be awarded annually to a deserving student with preference being given to a student of Middle Eastern descent. The annual selection and announcement naming the recipient will be made in the spring.