Alisa Manning Peppers

I can still see the terrible aftermath, images seared in memory as only a tragedy can be. Two year old Morgan Peppers died suddenly, and parents Alisa and Reggie were in complete shock. None of us knew what to say. Consolation was impossible. Emotions were too strong for words. It was the darkest of days.

At that time I had been a parent for a decade, with lots of baby experience. I had spent some time with Morgan, and remember being impressed with the toddler’s great spirit and big smile and a joie de vivre that was much larger than could be contained in that little body. Her death was a huge shock and the world lost a good one that day.

This is a terrible place to start a story, but from this dark ending comes a new beginning in the form of a cheer scholarship in Morgan’s name, given annually to an African American member of the Texas Spirit program. The scholarship was born out of the Texas Exes Houston Chapter, where Alisa was on the Executive Board, as a way to help get past the tragedy. The memorial scholarship makes Morgan the youngest member of the Longhorn Legends Hall of Honor.

Alisa joined the basketball cheer squad in 1986, then football squad for three years, and then joined the Pom squad when it was invented in 1989. She holds the honor of being the first African American Head Cheerleader at UT and the first Captain of the Pom Squad. Alisa followed that up with being assistant coach in charge of Pom in 1991, and interim cheer coach in ’98-2000.

These days the Peppers are back in Houston and have two daughters, Addison, 16, and Reagan, 21. Addison is currently a level 9 competitive gymnast, and Reagan is a senior at LSU. Every year, the Peppers visit Morgan’s grave on her birthday and tell her all the news, events and accomplishments. Then they take the longest way back to the car, thinking of all the things that Morgan could have done and been. And thus is the importance of her memory in the form of a scholarship, something that truly helps a student in their quest to succeed.

Eventually returning to hometown Houston, Alisa started a cheerleading company in the late ’90's to give kids after school activities in African American neighborhoods where competitive cheerleading did not exist.

Out of necessity comes the mother of invention, and Alisa started Urban Cheer Company. Over five years Alisa provided cheer programs for multiple schools, with summer camps and competitions and even a uniform company called Urban Athletix. She had a team of college cheerleaders from local universities working for her. “We could see how cheer was growing and we might become the next NCA.” Unfortunately, Reggie transferred to Dallas and Urban Cheer had to be closed.

Such a scholarship can fuel careers, many times at a critical juncture. You met Cortney Matthews in this column last year. Cortney used the Morgan Peppers scholarship to get into medical school, and today he is in orthopedic surgical residency after graduating from UT Dell Medical School.

“I have heard so many good stories from recipients, and seeing how happy they are for the help, I think if more people were aware that they could make a difference with a scholarship, they would.” Alisa is speaking from real experience, because she has another scholarship these days in her own name, which was a surprise gift from Reggie.

“The scholarship is just a couple thousand dollars, but to the recipients it’s a big deal. It sticks with you, because you can see the difference it makes. And whenever we meet, we tell them ‘Go do big things’, because that’s what we would’ve told Morgan.”

From tragedy comes a permanent contribution to the members of Texas Cheer and Pom, and it is our hope that one day there will be a scholarship for all 110 members of the organization. Our next scholarship program will happen in May and we are asking for donations now to reward squad leadership and outstanding members, and encourage those students who give so much effort to this full time cheerleader/pom/mascot job. And as Alisa says, that scholarship helps make the world a better place.