Pictured above, Kristen Doty and Paul Saegesser
Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation and members of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship committee are pleased to announce that Kristen Doty was awarded the $2,500 Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship at the 34th annual scholarship presentation luncheon on Friday, August 3.
Kristen Doty is a 2016 graduate of Mattoon High School and is currently enrolled at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. She is majoring in accounting with a minor in entrepreneurship.
The 2018 scholarship luncheon program included updates of previous scholarship recipients. Michael Wurstbaugh (1985) was the first recipient of the AD Williams Jr. Scholarship. He now resides in Webster Grove, Missouri and is the Senior Vice-President at Clay County Real Estate and Construction. He is married with two children. Joseph Ohm (1987) lives in LaGrange, Illinois and is the administrator of the Plumbers Local #130 Pension Fund. He is married with three children. Barbara Blume Love (1991) resides in Mattoon and is the Chief Financial Officer at Howell Asphalt and Paving Company. She is married with two kids and serves on the selection committee for the scholarship. Nathan Saegesser (2001) lives in Chicago, Illinois and is a partner at KPMG Transaction Securities. He is married with three children. Christopher Wente (2009) now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and works as a CPA for Deloitte. Shawna Davis (2013) is the budget analyst for the City of Olathe, Kansas. Shannon Lowry (2014) is an insurance data analyst in cyber security for State Farm Insurance in Atlanta, Georgia. Katie Kirts (2017) recently graduated from Georgetown University and works for New York Life Insurance and resides in New York City. Other past recipients are encouraged to contact Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation to provide updates on their lives since receiving the scholarship.
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. The scholarship fund was established in May 1983 by Mrs. Virginia Williams, mother of Arland D. Williams, Jr. Since 1985, 34 scholarships have been awarded, totaling more than $76,000.
Friends and classmates of Arland D. Williams, Jr. serve on the scholarship committee and present the award each year. Gayla McDaniel, Tim Gover, Peggy Fuesting, Phyliss Rotek, Gayla McDaniel, Paul Saegesser, Jason Hortenstine, and Barb Love served on the 2018 scholarship review committee.
