2022 Arland D. Williams Jr. Scholarship awarded to Patrick Baxter Graduate of MHS in 2013

Scholarship Award recipient and committee of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Memorial Scholarship at the 37th annual scholarship presentation. (Above, L-R) Paul Saegesser, Gayla McDaniel, Barb Love, 2022 winner Patrick Baxter, Jason Hortenstine. Photo submitted by SICF.

For Immediate Release

2022 Arland D. Williams Jr. Scholarship awarded to Patrick Baxter Graduate of MHS in 2013

(MATTOON, Illinois – July 21, 2022) Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation and members of the Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship committee are pleased to announce Patrick Baxter was awarded the $3,500 Arland D. Williams, Jr. Scholarship at the 37th annual scholarship presentation luncheon on Thursday, July 21, 2022.
Patrick Baxter is a graduate of Mattoon High School and is currently studying Accounting at Eastern Illinois University. Patrick plans to be a CPA in the Mattoon community when receiving his degree.

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, 38 scholarships have been awarded, totaling more than $92,000. Friends and classmates of Arland D. Williams, Jr. serve on the scholarship committee and present the award each year. Gayla McDaniel, Phyllis Roytek, Paul Saegesser, Jason Hortenstine and Barb Love served on the 2022 scholarship review committee.

The Arland D. Williams Jr. Scholarship is one of several scholarship funds managed by Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation who also manages more than 180 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.