MONTICELLO, Ark. — The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) has received a gift of $1.3 million to establish the Jonathan Hartley Endowed Scholarship for Forestry. The gift comes from the estate of Andrea Stanley Hartley, mother of the late Jonathan Isaac Hartley, and is the third-largest single gift in the university’s history. Scholarships will benefit undergraduate and graduate forestry students in the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources (CFANR) at UAM.
Jonathan Hartley was the only child of the late Andrea Stanley Hartley and the late John Charles Hartley and graduated from Watson Chapel High School in Pine Bluff in 2001. He graduated from UAM in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in forestry. In 2011, he earned a Master of Science in forest resource management from UAM. From 2005-2015, Hartley worked as a program technician for several faculty at UAM, including Dr. David Patterson and Dr. Matthew Pelkki. His main areas of research included biometrics and wood products. In January 2015, he became Drew County Forester for the Arkansas Forestry Commission and held the position until January 2018, when he passed away at the age of 34 after battling chronic illness since the age of 16.
Jolene Hammock, outreach and engagement coordinator for CFANR, was married to Jonathan Hartley from 2006 until his passing in 2018. “Jonathan was a vibrant, lively man who loved UAM. He was passionate about the forestry program and the university, where he made lifelong friendships and pursued his research interests. He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting and fishing, and he was the center of his mother’s world. Andrea was dedicated to preserving Jonathan’s legacy at UAM, and Jonathan would be very proud to have scholarships help future generations of foresters.”
Dr. Michael Blazier, dean of CFNAR at UAM and director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, stated, “Jonathan was heavily involved with our forestry program as a student and professional forester, and it’s a fitting legacy that we’ll carry on his name for scholarships that will help countless forestry students get a degree. Jonathan’s family recognized how positively Jonathan’s life was affected by finding his passion for forestry and working closely with our faculty as a student and technician, and it’s a great privilege for us to honor him through generations of UAM foresters to come.”
Dr. Peggy Doss, chancellor of UAM, celebrated the Hartley family, stating, “We express our heartfelt gratitude for the recent donation of funds for university scholarships from the estate of Ms. Andrea S. Hartley to honor the memory of her son, Jonathan, who was a UAM alumnus and forestry program technician at the university. This generous gift not only honors the memory of Jonathan but will support the academic aspirations of deserving students majoring in forestry at UAM, and we are profoundly thankful for the lasting impact it will have on their educational journeys. The foresight and generosity displayed through this estate donation will play a pivotal role in fostering access to education for each deserving individual. This gift has created a legacy that will positively influence the lives of countless forestry students for years to come.”
For more information about the Jonathan Hartley Endowed Scholarship for Forestry, contact the UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at (870) 460-1052.
