Bulldog spirit drives retired teacher’s philanthropy
Theressia McAlpin’s passion for Mississippi State University spans every element of the Maroon and White. The retired teacher lives in Pearl but considers MSU home. By creating The Byrd/Ringler Vet Tech Scholarship, she’s helping those learning to provide medical care for pets to someday consider MSU their home too.
McAlpin’s time as a student on campus in Starkville during the mid-1970s helped mature what has become a lifelong affiliation with the Bulldogs. As a student in the College of Education, she found her calling through faculty members who helped her discover her own passion for illuminating minds. At the same time, she found joy in the bleachers and the grandstands, cheering on the university’s athletic teams. As a senior, she made a point to attend every football game, both at home and on the road. Baseball and both men’s and women’s basketball commanded her attention then as well and have continued since. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at MSU, in 1977 and 1998 respectively, and she has been a longtime active member of the MSU Alumni Association. She served as president of the Central Mississippi Chapter in 2014, and she has served on the association’s National Alumni Board.
McAlpin has supported the university’s mission throughout her life and has helped many students find paths to the scholarships they have needed. Between her extensive personal knowledge of Mississippi State and the connections she has built over the years with faculty and staff, she has enjoyed opportunities to guide those with questions countless times. In 2023, she received the alumni association’s Distinguished Service Award in honor of her continued dedication and service to MSU.
At home, her dogs have been her family. Her current pet, named John Wylie, is his own character and he keeps the memory of her first miniature Australian shepherd, Annie Belle, alive. When Annie Belle developed health problems many years ago, McAlpin took her to see veterinarian Dr. Wendy Byrd and vet tech Casey Ringler at MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Emergency & Referral Center. They made such a positive impression on her, she decided to establish a scholarship in their honor.
“They are both so caring and so thoughtful,” McAlpin said, “and so very talented in taking care of our animals. They love your dog just as much as you do. I truly believe in what they do and, because of that, I wanted to honor them.”
The Byrd/Ringler Vet Tech Scholarship is available to juniors and seniors in the CVM’s veterinary medical technology program, helping students preparing for careers to help others, her own John Wylie potentially included.
“John Wylie does not have anything wrong with him,” McAlpin said, “but I believe in Dr. Byrd so much that I have called and gotten him an appointment in December for her to put her hands on him. I want her to examine him every year so she can tell me he’s OK, because I want to stay ahead of something that can happen instead of just reacting to it.”
Working proactively for a healthy future is part of what motivated her to establish The Byrd/Ringler Vet Tech Scholarship. Teaching, illuminating minds and preparing students for a bright future drove McAlpin throughout her career. Providing help for others to reach that future, for themselves and for pets, motivates her still. She found her future at MSU. The scholarship she has created will pave the way for others to do the same.