Williams, Jr. Memorial Scholarship at the 38th annual scholarship presentation. (Above, L-R) Barb Love, 2023 winner Joshua Ramage, Jason Hortenstine, and Paul Saegesser
(Mattoon, Illinois – July 20, 2023) Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation and members of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship committee are pleased to announce Joshua Ramage was awarded the $3,500 Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship at the 38th annual scholarship presentation luncheon on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Joshua Ramage is a 2021 graduate of Mattoon High School and will be studying Computer Science at Eastern Illinois University this fall. Joshua is interested in coding and AI and is looking forward to seeing what changes unfold in the future of AI.
The Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship honors the memory of the late Arland D. Williams, Jr. who graduated from Mattoon High School. Mr. airplane crash in Washington D.C. His selfless actions cost him his life, but his heroism lives on.
The scholarship fund was established in May 1983 by Mrs. Virginia Williams, mother of Arland D. Williams, Jr. Since 1985, 40 scholarships have been awarded, totaling more than $93,500. Friends and classmates of Arland D. Williams, Jr. serve on the scholarship committee and present the award each year. Gayla McDaniel, Paul Saegesser, Jason Hortenstine, and Barb Love served on the 2023 scholarship review committee.
The Arland D. Williams Jr. Scholarship is one of several scholarship funds managed by Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation which also manages more than 200 funds for the immediate and long-term benefit of communities in southeastern Illinois. For more information, contact Alex Pleasant, Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, at 217.342.4988 or alex@southeasternillinois.org.
