When Patty Kennedy heard the news that David Booth, a 1964 Lawrence High graduate, had cut a check for $100,000 to the Lawrence Lions Alumni Association, she was shocked.

“You could have picked me up off the floor,” said Kennedy, the alumni association’s president.

The association routinely gives between six and 12 modest scholarships to Lawrence High seniors who are attending junior colleges and vocational or trade schools. Booth’s sizable donation means the association has substantially more money on hand to benefit deserving students.

“I had a lot of people helping me along the way, and this is just a little bit, and hopefully every little bit helps, and maybe it will make a difference to somebody,” Booth said. It was his first donation to Lawrence High.

Booth’s donation also means that the association has to re-evaluate how it disburses scholarship funds.

“We try to not keep very much money … so each year, we pretty much give out all the money we took in the previous year,” Kennedy said.

In the past, scholarships have been worth about $500. Now, with these funds, Kennedy said the association hoped to give even more to students.

“We will give substantially more than we have,” she said.

However, she said the association was going to look into ways to make the money grow.

“We also feel like it was (Booth’s) intent to use it and spend it to help the students and help the school,” Kennedy said.

Booth, who was inducted into the LHS Hall of Honor last fall, is the founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors, a global investment firm based in Santa Monica, Calif.

“I just have a lot of trust in the alumni association,” Booth said. “I’m out of touch. I’m sure they will use it wisely, and I want to give them a lot of flexibility to do whatever they think is best.”

Booth asked that one scholarship a year be given to an outstanding student in math, in the name of Margaret McReynolds, a teacher who he said never gave up on him.

“It was nice to be able to honor somebody like that who hasn’t had a lot of honors bestowed upon her,” Booth said of McReynolds, who now lives in Oklahoma. He reconnected with her recently, calling her on the phone to speak for the first time since 1964.

“It was terrific. She remembered me and had nice things to say,” Booth said. “It’s meant a lot to her and it meant a lot to me.”

The Lawrence Lions Alumni Association is holding its annual golf tournament fundraiser today at Alvamar Golf Club, where the donation will be formally presented.