Each fall, Hiwassee College hosts the Kefauver Gala. Named for Madisonville's favorite son Sen. Estes Kefauver, the gala raises funds for a scholarship for a Hiwassee College student. The scholarship is awarded to an incoming student planning to enter a career in public service.

The recipient of this most prestigious scholarship is required to live on campus, actively engage in campus life, and is encouraged to participate in the College's Mayfield Honors Program. The Kefauver Scholarship includes full tuition, fees, room and board.

First elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1939, Sen. Kefauver served in the public until his death in 1963. As a member of the House during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Kefauver was a staunch supporter of New Deal legislation. He also backed the then controversial Tennessee Valley Authority.

As a member of the House, Kefauver concentrated his legislative efforts on congressional reform and anti-monopoly measures. He chaired the House Select Committee on Small Business subcommittee that investigated economic concentration in the U.S. business world in 1946. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1948, Kefauver made a name as a crusader for consumer protection laws, antitrust legislation and civil rights.

In 1950, Kefauver headed the Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce. The Committee heard testimony from more than 600 witnesses.  Many were high-profile crime bosses and high-profile politicians. The hearings introduced many Americans to a criminal organization known as the Mafia.

Between 1957 and 1963, his Senate Anti-Trust and Monopoly Subcommittee exposed monopoly prices in the steel, automotive, bread and pharmaceutical industries.   
In 1962, Kefauver introduced legislation that would become the Kefauver-Harris Drug Control Act. The bill required drug companies disclose the side-effects of their products, allow their products to be sold as generic drugs after having held their patent for a certain period of time, and be able to prove on demand that their products were effective and safe.

On Aug. 8, 1963, Sen. Kefauver died of a heart aneurysm in Bethesda, Md. He is interred in the family cemetery in Madisonville.
This year's Kefauver Gala will be held Friday, Oct. 23.  Information is available at Hiwassee's Web site.

Join us as we keep the great Kefauver tradition alive by encouraging students to commit their lives to distinguished public service.