(MATTOON, Illinois – October 3, 2017) Mattoon Area Community Foundation and members of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship committee are pleased to announce that Katie Kirts was awarded the $2,500 Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship at the 33rd annual scholarship presentation luncheon on Tuesday, August 22.
Katie Kirts, a 2002 graduate of Mattoon High School, is currently studying finance and working toward her MBA at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
The Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship honors the memory of the late Arland D. Williams, Jr. who graduated from Mattoon High School. Mr. Williams became a well-known example of extraordinary heroism when his actions saved five people after a 1982 airplane crash in Washington D.C. His selfless actions cost him his life but his heroism lives on. As a resident of Washington, D.C., Katie is constantly reminded of Williams’ sacrifice by driving over the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Memorial Bridge, stating “When I cross the bridge named in his honor in D.C., I feel extremely honored to have been raised in the same town as him and at the prospect of applying for a scholarship in his memory.”
The scholarship fund was established in May 1983 by Mrs. Virginia Williams, mother of Arland D. Williams, Jr. Since 1985, 33 scholarships have been awarded, totaling more than $70,000. Friends and classmates of Arland D. Williams, Jr. serve on the scholarship committee and present the award each year.
The Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship is a fund with Mattoon Area Community Foundation. For more information, visit www.enrichingourcommunity.org/MattoonArea or call 217.342.4988.