Mary Bivings, a senior at Purvis High School, is the recipient of a $5,000 Crawford Johnson III and Walker Johnson Jones Scholarship on behalf of Coca-Cola UNITED.

Mary is the daughter of Tommy Bivings, who is employed at Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company, a sales and distribution center of Coca-Cola UNITED. Mary plans to attend The University of Southern Mississippi this fall.

Every year, 20 children, stepchildren, grandchildren or step-grandchildren of Coca-Cola UNITED associates are selected to receive either a $5,000 or $3,000 college scholarship, renewable over four years. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic performance, leadership, extracurricular activities and service.

“Coca-Cola UNITED has been a family-focused company for more than 120 years,” said Chris Dunkley, Hattiesburg Coca-Cola Sales Center Manager. “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to provide college scholarships to the children and grandchildren of our associates.”

Coca-Cola UNITED established the Crawford Johnson III and Walker Johnson Jones Scholarship in 1995 in honor of former CEO Crawford Johnson III’s retirement and his 45 years of service to the company.  The scholarship expanded in 2014, when Johnson’s daughter, former UNITED Community Relations Director and current Board of Directors member Walker Johnson Jones, retired after 34 years of service. The program is a testament to the company’s commitment to education and its focus on associates and their families across its six-state bottling territory.

For the complete list of 2023 Crawford Johnson III and Walker Johnson Jones Scholarship recipients, click here.