KAHOKA, Mo. -- Former Kahoka resident Mark McAndrew and his wife, Stephanie, have donated $1.4 million to the University of Missouri Flagship Scholars program.

The program's goal is to provide a four-year scholarship worth up to $15,000 to a student in every Missouri county and in the city of St. Louis.

McAndrew's gift will improve access to college for students in Clark County. Dena Eddleman of Kahoka, a senior hotel and restaurant management major at MU, was named the first recipient at a press conference Thursday at Kahoka High School.

The program gives priority to applicants who demonstrate outstanding service and leadership and are the first in their family to attend college. Recipients give back at least 20 hours per year in their home communities promoting education and college attendance.

"Missouri is falling behind the nation when it comes to the number of college graduates," said Richard Wallace, MU chancellor emeritus. "Approximately 28 percent of Americans have college degrees. In Missouri, the number of adults with college degrees is 24 percent, and, in half of Missouri counties, fewer than 12 percent of adults are college graduates. In Clark County, just 10 percent of adults are college graduates."

The Jack and Ladene McAndrew Flagship Scholarship is named in honor of McAndrew's parents who did not have a chance to go to college. They raised McAndrew and his six siblings in Kahoka.

"So many kids who live in a rural environment feel that they don't have the opportunity to go to college," McAndrew said. "I hope this scholarship program makes it possible for more students to have that chance."

McAndrew, one of two in his family to attend college, received a bachelor of science in business administration in 1975 from MU. He is chairman and chief executive officer of Torchmark, a holding company specializing in life and supplemental health insurance. The McAndrews live in McKinney, Texas.

"Giving to the Flagship Scholars program is a chance to leave a legacy. These scholarships will impact students for the rest of their lives," McAndrew said.