Mikayla Spivey and Amy Sanchez Ramirez are this year’s recipients of the Liza Farrow-Gillespie Intrepid Young Woman Scholarship. Dr. Alan Farrow-Gillespie presented each of them with the $10,000 award at the DISD Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet at Townview. In addition to academic excellence, this year’s recipients possess Liza’s “do anything, go anywhere” spirit. Mikayla’s voyage will begin at NYU, and Amy’s at SMU. We wish them all the best in their undergraduate careers and beyond. We hope that like Liza, they navigate their lives with joy, strength, and purpose.
Also in attendance were Scholarship donors Jim Thompson, retired FGHW partners Debra Witter and Scott Chase, and Jan Sanders, all colleagues and friends of Liza. Scott was integral in the formation of the Scholarship four years ago. The FGHW family is proud of these intrepid young women.
The Liza Farrow-Gillespie Intrepid Young Woman Scholarship is awarded annually to young women who are graduating seniors of the DISD Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet. The Magnet is an exceptional school, ranking 10th in Texas high schools and 5th in Dallas metro high schools by US News & World Report. The Scholarship is given in Liza’s honor to young women who embody her exceptional spirit. It is meant to be a fair wind in the recipient’s sail and to encourage young women to emulate Liza’s amazing life.
Liza Farrow-Gillespie, FGHW co-founder, lived fearlessly. She serenaded Hollywood as a professional musician and singer. She toured with bands and recording artists. She circumnavigated the globe on a 54-foot sailboat with the love of her life, Dr. Alan Farrow-Gillespie, and triumphed over storms, including monsoons and actual pirates. Prior to her passing, she published a book that archives her infinite heart and humor. She clerked with the late Honorable Barefoot Sanders and at 54-years-old, along with Julie Heath, established one of the only woman-owned law firms in Dallas, proving anything can be done no matter the age. She fought cancer and knocked it out. It came back for round two years later. Even in loss, Liza remained fearless. The Scholarship is intended to encourage the winners to journey on in college and in life, as Liza did.
Tax-deductible donations for this scholarship can be made to the Dallas Education Foundation: https://dallasedfound.org/donate/. In the Additional Information section, enter “For Liza.”
From upper left: Dr. Alan Farrow-Gillespie, Jim Thompson, Debra Witter, Scott Chase, Mikayla Spivey, Amy Sanchez Ramirez, and Jan Sanders attend the April 30, 2024 Scholarship ceremony at the DISD Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet.