East Texas mother sells fried ribs to fund scholarships in honor of late son

CENTER, Texas (KETK) – A San Augustine mother is serving up fried ribs at the 48th Annual East Texas Poultry Festival in honor of her late son.

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“Fried ribs are not common,” Shelly Burrell, founder of the Octavian Burrell Scholarship Fund said. “They’re not fried, they’re not cooked everyday and they became a hit.”

Burrell was inspired to raise money for student scholarships as a way to keep her son’s Octavion’s memory alive. Octavian died in a wreck back in November of 2018. He was 20 years old and a graduate of Shelbyville ISD.

“When she (Shelly) called me to tell me that he had passed, it was like my own flesh and blood had passed,” Jamie Mosby, a family friend said. “We all felt it.”

Octavian Burrell’s family said he touched many people’s lives. It was clearly demonstrated during his funeral six years ago.

“There were over a thousand at his funeral service,” Burrell said. “He was loved by everyone.”

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Burrell was struggling to cope with her son’s passing for at least nine months after the funeral. She sought a mental health expert and was inspired to do something in which she could channel the grievance into something beneficial for the community.

“My psychiatrist told me and gave me an idea to do something to keep his name alive,” Burrell said. “That right there sparked a fire in me. and it won’t stop.”

She took her psychiatrist’s advice and created the Octavian Burrell Scholarship Fund in 2019. The fund provides scholarships for students in San Augustine and Shelbyville. Since its start, they have gifted scholarships between $500 and $1,000 to around 40 students. The East Texas Poultry Festival is their biggest fundraiser of the year.

“We’re working on trying to expand this to Center,” Burrell said. “This is where we get a lot of our money from. We also need to give back to Center.”

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You can find Burrell’s fried ribs stand all this week at the East Texas Poultry Festival.

“I know it’s hurtful,” Burrell said, “It’s a hole that cannot be filled, but I can truly say if you keep your son’s name alive, it makes you feel so much better.”

If you would like to donate to the Octavian Burrell Scholarship Fund, please do so at any Shelby Savings Bank location in East Texas.

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