Bobby and Lisa Towery are lifelong Ole Miss fans. Once the Towerys were able to settle back in Oxford, they were regulars at football games, baseball games, basketball games, the Grove and just about any other Rebels athletic events.

As every member of the University of Mississippi family knows, we celebrate #38 and the legacy of Chucky Mullins, the football player who was paralyzed in a catastrophic on-field accident in 1989. Mullins died two years later, but in that short time, he inspired everyone with his grit, determination and spirit. Every year, runners in Oxford participate in The Great 38, a race honoring Mullins and raising money for disabled students at Ole Miss. Bobby Towery was an avid runner who participated in the Great 38 in 2019, completing the eight-mile run before he suffered a heart attack. He died shortly after the race at the age of 59.

"All the way" is the motto of the legendary 82nd Airborne Division, referred to as the All-American division. Col. (R) Towery spent nearly four years at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the 82nd as the G-4 responsible for logistics and maintenance for the Division. It was here that Bobby gained a passion for jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. At times in the Towery living room, Lisa would don parachute gear while Bobby performed JMPIs in while studying to become a Jumpmaster.

Currently, 125 cadets are enrolled in the Army ROTC program at the University of Mississippi. Known as the Magnolia Battalion, Ole Miss Army ROTC has consistently been ranked as one the top-performing programs in the nation.

In the early dawn hours of March 20, 2003, then-Lt. Col. Bobby Towery crossed the berm into Iraq leading 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division on the Thunder Run to Baghdad. Being a part of 3rd FSB during that time was one of the most important things that happened to the Towery family, and we will always be in the "Rock of the Marne."

Bobby took command of Delta Company at Fort Polk, Louisiana, as well as Headquarters and Headquarters Company of 3/70 Armor Battalion in 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Fifth MECH earned the special designation of "Red Devils" in World War I and identified themselves with a red diamond as a symbol of strength. Bobby's father gave Lisa a ring he made with five red diamonds to recognize his son being a part of that unit. Fort Polk is also where the Towerys' first son, Patrick, was born.

So many people all around Mississippi, the United States and even the world loved and respected Col. Bobby Towery. This project, which invites thousands of people to give to a common cause we all care about that will directly benefit Ole Miss students, is exactly why Ignite Ole Miss exists. Over the years, the Ole Miss family has made more than 12,000 gifts to the projects they care about on Ignite Ole Miss, giving anywhere from $5 to even $50,000. We all make a bigger impact together!