Scholarship memorializes Bragg family

An Arkansas family is being memorialized with a new scholarship. On Dec. 30, 2023, four members of the Bragg family died in a house explosion in Michigan. The family — Hope Bragg, 51, Don Bragg, 53, and their kids Kenneth Bragg, 22, Elizabeth Bragg, 19, and Stephen Bragg, 16, were visiting Hope’s father, Richard Pruden, 72, when a sudden explosion destroyed Pruden’s home. Pruden and 16-year-old Stephen survived the explosion, which was fatal for the other four members of the Bragg family.
The explosion destroyed the home, which was located about 45 miles west of Detroit. The Northfield Township Police investigated the case, and have reported that they do not suspect foul play in the incident and that it likely occurred due to an “undetermined fuel air explosion.” Lt. David Powell stated, "I've never seen anything like it," in response to the damage the explosion caused.
Hope Bragg was a 4-H STEM instructor with the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service. Don Bragg was a project leader for the U.S. Forest Service with an office at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. The Arkansas 4-H Foundation has created a scholarship to memorialize the Braggs.
The scholarship will be awarded annually to an Arkansas 4-H member high school senior who plans to pursue a college degree in natural resources or in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Archaeology will also be an eligible field of study.
“Losing a beloved colleague so suddenly has been a shock to all of our 4-H, extension and Division of Agriculture family,” said John Anderson, director of the Cooperative Extension Service. “We all wanted to do something that would honor the Bragg family and their love for Arkansas 4-H, education and particularly the sciences. We hope this scholarship will enable 4-H members to further their education and pursue their own passions for the sciences.”

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture has already made a donation of $5,000 to the memorial scholarship fund. Deacue Fields, head of the Division of Agriculture shared his gratitude, “I want to thank John Thomas and the 4-H Foundation for quickly establishing a scholarship in honor of Hope and the Bragg Family. This scholarship will honor their memory for years to come by helping young people achieve their college goals.”
The foundation will need a total of $25,000 to endow the fund, so that scholarships can be awarded from interest earned on the money while preserving the capital. Recent reports indicate the amount raised is currently over $15,000.
"This is our way of ensuring that the passions these Bragg family members had for 4-H will not only be remembered but also will be passed on to future generations of Arkansas 4-H youth," Thomas said. Both Hope and Don shared a profound love of education.
“They were both so focused on educating youth,” said Debbie Nistler, assistant vice president for 4-H Youth Development with the Division of Agriculture. “If you had the opportunity to see either one of them work with youth, you couldn’t help but get excited. We want to make their passion for education a legacy.”
Donations to the fund can be made at www.arkansas4hfoundation.org