Our Story

The Harry E. Bovay, Jr. Foundation was formed at the bequest of Harry Bovay to further his philanthropic work in specific rural communities served by Mid South Telecommunications Company, Inc.  The Foundation focuses on education and community development in these communities.

Mr. Bovay was born September 4, 1914 in Big Rapids, Michigan and passed away in Houston, Texas, May 24, 2011 at the age of 96.  After spending his early years in Stuttgart, Arkansas, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was thirteen.

Mr. Bovay graduated from Cornell University in 1936 as a civil engineer and spent most of the following ten years at the Humble Oil and Refining Company in Baytown, Texas.  In 1946 he formed his own professional engineering firm, H. E. Bovay, Jr. Consulting Engineers, which later became Bovay Engineers, Inc.  He served as president of the firm until his retirement in 1984.

Upon retirement from Bovay Engineers, he formed the Mid South Telecommunications Company, a holding company for rural telephone, cablevision and ancillary service companies.  Mr. Bovay continued to work at the Mid South offices daily until a few months prior to his death.

He learned business ethics while working with his father, a bridge-building entrepreneur who owned and operated businesses across the South and Midwest.  Valuing the importance of ethical behavior, Mr. Bovay promoted its teaching in the engineering colleges of both his alma mater, Cornell University, and Texas A&M University. This was accomplished through gifts and endowments toward engineering ethics programs.

A Scout since age 12, Mr. Bovay volunteered at every level from troop leader to national committee member, extending his generosity to the local councils.  He was proud to be a young member of the Boy Scout Honor Guard welcoming Charles Lindbergh flying “The Spirit of St. Louis” on his 1927 stop in Memphis.  Mr. Bovay identified with the core values – God, country, fairness, courage, honor, and respect for others – of the Boy Scouts of America, stressing Scouting’s invaluable roll in developing strong moral character for America’s youth.