Scholarship

Viva Fresh Scholarship Honoree
Marvin Davis, Tex-Mex Sales

Marvin Davis, Tex-Mex Sales

1938-2022

This year’s Viva Fresh Golf Scholarship posthumously honors Marvin Davis of Tex-Mex Sales.

Marvin was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended the University of Arizona on a baseball scholarship for two years before pursuing a professional opportunity with the New York Giants baseball organization. After a sports injury ended his baseball career, he redirected his drive and discipline into the produce industry.

In 1964, while working as a buyer for Pacific Fruit Company (TopCo), Marvin was sent to McAllen to open a South Texas office. What was meant to be temporary became permanent, as he fell in love with the area and began a distinguished career in South Texas.After leaving TopCo, he worked for Teddy Bertuca Company and Bannworth Company as head of sales.

In 1971, Marvin established his own business, which at one time operated offices in Texas, California, Arizona, and Florida. In 2000, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by partnering with his son, Michael Davis, at Tex-Mex Sales. Marvin proudly mentored many salespeople, including his granddaughter Kristen, the last person he guided. He is remembered for his deep love of the produce industry, his family, and the colleagues who continue to carry forward his legacy.

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Objective of the Scholarship

The program will provide one-year scholarships to family of TIPA members, Viva Fresh exhibitors & sponsor companies for students who intend to pursue a degree or certification program relevant to the fresh produce industry.

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Mission of the Scholarship

Allow all scopes and job areas that could be of benefit of the fresh produce supply chain to apply, not only the traditional agriculture degrees.

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Purpose of the Scholarship

Support the broad range of skills and job functions needed by the next generation of fresh produce professionals.

APPLY HERE

The amount of the scholarship is $2,000 per recipient ($1,000/semester)
Applicant must plan to obtain a degree or certification from a college/university/vocational school that can be applied to the produce-industry supply chain.
If pursuing a bachelor’s degree; must be enrolled in 12+ hours of coursework.
Applicant must be a high school senior or presently enrolled in a college/university/vocational school.
High school applicants and college applicants must have maintained a minimum of 2.5 GPA or higher.

Emphasis in judging will be placed on the responses to essay questions listed in the scholarship application, as well as on grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Only one application is allowed per student in this scholarship competition.
Applicants must be employees of or the respective family of TIPA-members and Viva Fresh-contributor companies, such as exhibitors and sponsor companies.
Applicants must intend to enroll in an accredited educational institution for the 2024-25 academic year in a field pertaining to the fresh produce supply chain. This includes, but is not limited to agriculture, horticulture, crop science, logistics, mechanical engineering, ag sales, and ag marketing.
Applicants must complete all required information on the entry form. Applications that fail to meet the requirements or are incomplete will not be reviewed.
Answers must be the applicants’ original work and no more than 100 words in length per question.
Applications must be submitted via email to info@texipa.org or via fax (956) 581-3912 on or before 11:59 p.m. CST on 07/31/2025.
Questions regarding the scholarship should be directed to info@texipa.org.

The decision of the judges is final.

The deadline for the Viva Fresh scholarship is July 31th, 2026.

Incomplete applications will be returned to applications, with a request to rectify missing information within 5 days of the request or they forfeit the application. Applications are then reviewed by the Viva Fresh Open Golf Committee for final selection of qualified candidates. TIPA personnel will then contact the scholarship recipients, requesting the appropriate supporting documentation as well as a photograph for promotional and advertising purposes. Applicants who are not chosen during the initial application year may be considered for future years and are encouraged to apply again if qualification terms continue to apply.