NATCHITOCHES - Lovell Willis of Natchitoches has been selected as the 2009 winner of the Norman Taylor Dowty Scholarship at Northwestern State University.

     Willis is a junior broadcast journalism major and is in the Army ROTC program at Northwestern.

     Dowty, a graduate of Bolton High School in Alexandria attended Northwestern where he was editor of the student newspaper, the Current Sauce, and was involved with speech and debate.  He left Northwestern to join the Naval Air Corps and was trained as a Naval pilot before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.   He married Rivers Rhodes of Natchitoches in August 1942.  In March of 1944, a U.S. Naval task force destroyed two enemy submarines in the North Atlantic, and Dowty, a Navy pilot, had a leading role in both.  He left behind his wife and an infant daughter.

     “I am humbled to receive an award named after a hero like Lt. j.g. Dowty,” said Willis. “It means a great deal to me to have this association with him. I am thankful to the family of Lt. j.g. Dowty for providing this scholarship and to those who selected me.”

     Willis, a graduate of Natchitoches Central High School, had planned to enter the Navy after high school.

     “A friend told me about the ROTC program at Northwestern and what they offered. I decided to try it out,” said Willis. “Once I joined, I fell in love with it. I have been able to learn about the military and obtain knowledge I can use in a practical way every day. I have also noticed that I am now a more disciplined and focused person.”

     Willis’ ambition is to become a sportscaster for ESPN. He thinks being an ROTC Cadet combined the experience he is getting in Northwestern’s journalism program can help him achieve that lofty goal. Willis has been involved in the twice-weekly news broadcast on Northwestern’s local cable channel NSU 22.

     “I have gotten a great deal of valuable first-hand knowledge at Northwestern both in front of and behind the camera,” said Willis. “I know how to meet a deadline under pressure. Those of us who work on the newscast know we have to get our stories done on time just like in the real world.”

     The Norman Taylor Dowty Scholarship is awarded to a student based on creativity and achievement in journalism, the arts, humanities or the sciences. Recipients must have sophomore, junior or returning senior status at the time of selection. The scholarship is awarded by a university committee, based upon recommendations from department heads in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Technology who have identified deserving candidates.