Honoring Legacies: Creating Memorial Scholarships for Students

Establishing a memorial scholarship is a meaningful way to honor the memory of a loved one or an individual who has made a significant impact. It serves as a lasting tribute that can provide educational opportunities to deserving students, ensuring their legacy continues through the lives of those they support.

Understanding Memorial Scholarships

A memorial scholarship is a form of financial aid established in memory of an individual. It can be set up by families, friends, or organizations and tailored to reflect the values, interests, or accomplishments of the person being honored. Memorial scholarships can be merit-based, need-based, or a combination of both. They can be directed towards students pursuing a specific field of study, attending a particular institution, or coming from a certain geographic area, among other criteria.

Benefits of Memorial Scholarships

Creating a memorial scholarship not only honors the memory of a loved one but also provides tangible benefits to students. It can help reduce the financial burden of education, allowing recipients to focus more on their studies. Moreover, memorial scholarships can inspire students to strive for excellence, as they often come with certain academic or extracurricular requirements. They can also promote the values and causes that were important to the person being memorialized, encouraging students to carry on their legacy.

Steps to Start a Memorial Scholarship

Starting a memorial scholarship involves several steps, from initial planning to implementation. Here's a guide to help you navigate the process:

Define the Purpose and Criteria

First, you need to clearly define the purpose of the scholarship. What do you hope to achieve with it? Who do you want to benefit from it? This will guide you in setting the eligibility criteria for the scholarship. Consider the interests and values of the person being honored. If they had a passion for a particular field of study or a commitment to a certain cause, you might want to target students who share these interests or values. You can also consider factors like academic achievement, financial need, community involvement, and personal qualities.

Determine the Funding Source

Next, you need to figure out how you will fund the scholarship. You can use personal funds, solicit donations, or organize fundraising events. You might also consider setting up an endowment, which is a fund that is invested to generate income for the scholarship on an ongoing basis. Keep in mind that the amount of funding will determine the number and size of the scholarships you can award. Therefore, it's important to plan your funding strategy carefully to ensure the sustainability of the scholarship.

Establish the Scholarship

Once you have defined the purpose and secured the funding, you can proceed to establish the scholarship. This involves creating a formal document that outlines the purpose, criteria, selection process, and other details of the scholarship. You will also need to decide who will administer the scholarship. You can do it yourself, or you can partner with a school or a scholarship administration organization. If you choose to partner with an organization, make sure to research their fees and services to ensure they align with your needs and budget.

Legal and Tax Considerations

Starting a memorial scholarship also involves some legal and tax considerations. Depending on how you set up the scholarship, it may qualify as a charitable contribution, which can provide tax benefits. However, there are specific rules and requirements that must be met.

Setting Up a Nonprofit Organization

If you plan to solicit donations or set up an endowment for the scholarship, you might consider establishing a nonprofit organization. This can provide tax benefits to you and your donors, but it also comes with certain responsibilities and regulations.Setting up a nonprofit involves filing paperwork with the state and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), creating bylaws, and forming a board of directors. You will also need to maintain records and file annual reports to keep your nonprofit status.

Partnering with a Scholarship Administration Organization

Another option is to partner with a scholarship administration organization. These organizations can handle the administrative tasks of the scholarship, including legal and tax compliance. They can also provide guidance and support throughout the process. However, keep in mind that these organizations charge fees for their services. Therefore, it's important to weigh the costs and benefits before deciding to partner with an organization.

Read also: Crafting Perfect Thank You Notes

Examples of Remembrance Scholarships in Action

Several universities and organizations have established remembrance scholarships to honor significant events or individuals. These scholarships provide financial assistance to students and serve as a reminder of the values and legacies associated with those being memorialized.

The Remembrance Scholarship at Syracuse University

The Remembrance Scholarship is one of the highest honors a Syracuse University student can receive. Those selected are chosen based on community impact, leadership, creativity, and thoughtful academic inquiry. Community impact may include service to the military, ROTC, first responder, student government, campus clubs, or other community organizations beyond campus. The rising seniors selected annually are each awarded a $5,000 Remembrance Scholarship and are charged with helping to educate the SU campus community about the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. Scholars are expected to undertake meaningful service and promote initiatives to combat hatred and extremism. They plan, organize, publicize, and participate in a calendar of events during Remembrance Week, typically including a candlelight vigil, "Act Forward" symposium, and the rose-laying and convocation ceremonies.

One Remembrance scholar delved into the archives at Bird Library to remember and honor Julianne Francis Kelly. The motto, “look back, act forward,” demands comprehensive application. Looking back means recognizing how Lockerbie transformed tragedy into an ethic of sustained care. The scholar grappled with the undeniable dissonance that’s developed since their time as a Lockerbie ambassador. Eleven residents of Lockerbie, Scotland, were killed in the Pan Am Flight 103 attack in addition to the flight’s 259 passengers. Wind carried the bodies and debris across an 81 mile-long corridor 845 square miles in area. A catastrophe became generationally entrenched in their community and lives. They aren’t reminded of this loss annually like we are, but have instead built compassion and remembrance into their daily lives. The “Laundry Women” of Lockerbie collected, cleaned, and even reconnected debris of victims’ belongings and memories with their respective families for years after the attack occurred. The entire Lockerbie community joined efforts to help rebuild the fracture that was physically and spiritually left in their town and extended a helping hand to families mourning transnationally.

However, at SU, beyond the highly publicized Remembrance Week, most students couldn’t tell you about the attack or understand the Remembrance Scholarship as anything more than a prestigious accolade. The same day a group of students arrived in Lockerbie as ambassadors, they learned their scholarship had been discontinued. Watching them mourn what was some people’s biggest dream, the scholar understood this connection is a lifeline. They shared feelings of being left in the dark of what seemed like a sudden decision. RC Concepcion, for instance, had concluded his time at Newhouse shortly after an article in support of his immigrant advocacy. According to a statement posted on his Instagram, he’s now doubling down on DEICER - a lifesaving app he made available outside app stores after immigrant safety applications were banned. His efforts model the care and kindness of Lockerbie that we should embody in our community, and it’s voices like his we must collectively protect and enhance.

Student movements, like Not Again SU - the longest-running student protest in SU’s history - collectively raised concerns of a series of on-campus hate incidents which university officials waited four days to alert the campus community of. The 31-day sit-in aimed to improve SU’s campus climate for students of color, but now students learn about it in a diluted manner which often fails to thoroughly explain why First Year Seminar was brought to life. One way to ensure we properly honor on-campus legacies is through recognition of our distinct relationship to Lockerbie year-round. When presented with moments of student frustration, we must actively stand against the systems of violence, allowing terror and silence to reign today as Lockerbie has taught us to: we must honor the systems of empathy that transcended catastrophe, borders and bias.

Read also: Foundation Scholarship Details

As a student leader of the Mexican Student Association, Latine Honors Society, and Remembrance, the scholar believes we need to question not just our separation from Lockerbie’s model of care, but how we can apply these values into our everyday lives as SU students. The question isn’t whether SU’s Remembrance program has value - it does. But we must move beyond our lackluster marketing image and dedicate ourselves to building the kind of care that Lockerbie models not only year-round but also universally. This means understanding Remembrance beyond brand management. It means recognizing that when we undermine professors and students who epitomize solidarity and resistance, we undermine the very values Lockerbie is meant to inspire. Lockerbie teaches us that authentic Remembrance requires transforming grief into sustained practices of care - not just for those who passed, but for the living who continue their legacy.

The Remembrance Scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents, and corporations. Significant support for the Remembrance Scholarships has been provided by C. Jean Thompson ’66 and Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Richard L. Thompson G’67, H’15 in memory of Jean Taylor Phelan Terry ’43 and John F. Phelan, Jean Thompson’s parents; the Fred L. Emerson Foundation; Deborah Barnes and Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Steven W. Barnes ’82. Applicants for the $5,000 scholarship are asked to highlight their academic achievements, creative pursuits, leadership activities, and community service.

The Dean L. Schatz Memorial Scholarship

In 2025, Chris Schatz, dean of health and human services at Moraine Park, turned remembrance into impact by establishing the Dean L. Schatz Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship honors Schatz’s father, Dean Schatz, a Vietnam veteran who passed away in 2007 at the age of 54 after battling a brain tumor. Schatz said his dad was always giving of his time. Schatz’s own path to leadership was not traditional. After spending more than a decade in the workforce, he returned to Moraine Park, graduating in 2011 from the Criminal Justice program. He began working in the field while continuing his education, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Marian University, a master’s degree in organizational leadership and quality, and later a doctorate from Edgewood College. The Dean L. Schatz Memorial Scholarship is available to Moraine Park students who live in Washington County. Schatz said the motivation behind the scholarship is deeply personal. He came back to Moraine Park after failing out of college 12 years prior, and he assumed no one would want to invest in him, so being able to invest in students now means a lot.

The Holocaust Remembrance Project

The Holocaust Remembrance Project is a national essay contest for high school students designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. High school students across the United States are invited to incorporate the project into their study of the Holocaust and to use it as a means to personally react to the messages of the Holocaust. First-place winners participate in an all-expense-paid trip to South Florida to visit various Holocaust memorials and museums and spend time with Holocaust survivors and scholars of the Holocaust and human rights. In addition, scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded to the first-place winners.

The Mason Wilbanks, Sam Clayton Kelly and Walker Kelly Memorial Scholarship

Like many University of Mississippi students, Mason Wilbanks, Sam Clayton Kelly, and Walker Kelly enjoyed the Grove on football Saturdays. But on the morning of Oct. 30, 2011, the three friends were killed as they headed back to Ole Miss when their car veered off Interstate 55 north of Jackson and crashed onto Highway 35. Their legacies will continue together, though, thanks to the many lives they touched and to a memorial scholarship created in their names. The families are extremely touched and truly humbled by the outpouring of love and support shown to them during this very difficult and trying time. It is not often that you hear the term 'legacy' used in regard to 18- and 19-year-old boys, but the term clearly fits Mason, Walker, and Sam Clayton. They left a legacy of what it means to be true friends, humble servants, and avid Ole Miss Rebels. As parents, they are humbled that their boys made, and continue to make, such an impact on so many. Losing young people affects the entire community. Students are the fabric that makes up Ole Miss. When you lose one, you hurt.

Responding to the loss, UM's Kappa Alpha chapter contacted its national organization for support, as well as KA members, parents, and friends across the Southeast. The chapter is pleased that the scholarship endowment has reached this level, but it's something they hope will continue to grow long after the current members have graduated and new faces take their place. They feel the amount of support they've received not only reflects on these three young men, their families, and their chapter but also on the university, its administration, and alumni. The Ole Miss family cares. The chapter received support from other Greek and campus organizations. In the short time that these boys spent on the campus of Ole Miss, they were able to touch the lives of many. The scholarship endowment was established to make sure that their enthusiasm for helping others continued. With the support of the University of Mississippi, the KA fraternity, and countless friends and family, this has become a reality. Though Mason, Sam Clayton, and Walker were only able to participate in just over two months of their Ole Miss dream, these scholarships will assist in making sure that other students have the ability to make their Ole Miss dreams come true.

Mason once expressed his feeling for his university in a high school English paper: 'If my family were a color, it wouldn't be just one. It would be both red and blue because my whole family bleeds Ole Miss.' Mason, Sam Clayton, and Walker were loving the Ole Miss experience, and KA played a large part. The Ole Miss alma mater reminds us that 'There Ole Miss is calling, calling, to our hearts fond memories.' Through this scholarship endowment, the fond memories created by Mason, Walker, and Sam Clayton during their short time at Ole Miss will live forever. The fraternity is working on guidelines to begin awarding scholarships this fall. The endowment is open to gifts from individuals and organizations.

tags: #scholarship #reminiscence #for #student #meaning