75 Legacy Scholarship Fund established at Marshall University to honor the lives and families of those lost in 1970 plane crash
The crash occurred on November 17, 1970. The airplane was carrying 75 people, including 37 Marshall University football team members and eight coaches.
The 75 Legacy Scholarship Fund has been established at Marshall University thanks to the Marshall 75 Family Alumni Chapter. The scholarship fund is available for direct descendants of the victims of the plane crash.
According to an article on Marshall University’s website, those who want to take advantage of the scholarship may be either full-time or part-time students and the scholarship may be applied for up to four years. The scholarship will provide full tuition.
Leslie Deese Garvis, who is the president of the Marshall 75 Family Alumni Chapter, said, “This scholarship fund will allow descendants to attend Marshall at no cost to themselves. What better way to ensure the legacy of the 75 endures through their descendants than to provide a way for them to attend the university they loved.”
Matt James, who serves as the executive director of alumni relations at Marshall University, said of the scholarship, “The chapter’s primary mission is to keep the memory of their 75 loved ones alive. One way to honor them is establishing a path to higher education through the descendants scholarship. I’m honored to be involved with such a special project.”
The Office of Student Financial Assistance will work in cooperation with the Marshall 75 Family Alumni Chapter Legacy Scholarship Committee to select a recipient and confirm descendancy. The scholarship will first be available to sons or daughters of those lost in the accident, but will then be opened up to any direct descendants if there are no sons or daughters who are interested in studying at Marshall University.
Aside from football players and coaches, community members, boosters, and Southern Airways employees were among those lost in the crash. Seventy children lost parents in the accident.
More information about the Marshall 75 Family Alumni Chapter can be found at its funding site.
For more information about Marshall University, visit the school’s website.