Lora Jean McCord Pitts

Lora Jean McCord Pitts was born in Mcalester, Oklahoma, USA on October 12th, 1937. She passed away on June 8th, 1999 in New Iberia, Louisiana, USA. She was part American Indian and the half-sister of Dr. Mary Jo Lass. Dr. Lass wanted to honor her with the scholarship because she believed that Lora would be thrilled to know that students would be getting an educational scholarship in her name. Mary Jo describes. “Flowers are nice, but they fade. This will never fade … and it keeps them alive by helping CSULB students.”

Mary Jo Lass earned her MA in Education from CSULB in 1954 and was hired as a full-time faculty member at CSULB in 1966. Why did she choose a career in education? “Teaching is a way to affect the world,” she explains. “I taught classes full of teachers or future teachers. Each of those students taught classes of their own students, so each semester I had the potential to affect so many lives. It’s a ripple effect, one person can change the world … through education.”

The College of Education (CED) expresses gratitude to all scholarship donors who continue to enhance the quality of education students experience at CSULB.