EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
The Lauren Elizabeth Cole
Memorial Scholarship Endowment
For Parks & Recreation
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Lauren Elizabeth Cole Memorial Scholarship Endowment is to provide scholarship assistance to deserving students majoring in the Parks and Recreation Management concentration through the Claudius G. Clemmer College of Education at East Tennessee State University.
DESCRIPTION
During her twenty-two years on this earth, Lauren Elizabeth Cole touched many lives and hearts. In the words of her Aunt Nancy, “No pain is greater than the loss between a parent and a child, and …between a brother and a sister. Lauren was pure sunshine, always with a smile. She had her life mapped out and wanted to make the earth a better place.”
As a student at Tennessee High, Lauren was an academic leader and a gifted athlete. She received the “All Academic Award,” was the recipient of the Teacher’s Choice Award and was the Editor-in-Chief of the School Newspaper. In sports, she was captain of the Girls’ Basketball Team, was a Tennessee High Lady Vikings all-time record holder, the recipient of the “Heart of the Team” award and she received the “Paul Cook” award for sportsmanship. Her teammates nicknamed her “Bird.” In addition, she was a member of the Beta Club Honor Society, Secretary of the Anchor Club Community Service Organization, a member of the Senior Court, the TV Broadcasting Club, and the Business Professionals of America. At the tree dedication ceremony held in her memory on November 27, 2009 at Tennessee High, a school official said, “I remember Lauren always with a smile. She was forever optimistic and loyal to her family and friends. She would be the student who wanted to help the slow, the weak, the uncared for, or the forgotten. She didn’t care what others thought, she didn’t care what was popular; Lauren did what was right…”
At East Tennessee State University, Lauren chose an academic over an athletic scholarship. She became an Honor Student and was placed on the Dean’s List. She was invited to become a member and joined the ranks of the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society and received the ETSU Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Grant. Her contributions to the greater community continued through her service as a Certified Woodland Firefighter and her participation in Emergency First Aid activities and in the Initiative for Clean Energy.
Lauren Cole touched the lives of many during her twenty-two years on this earth. As a registered tissue and organ donor her contributions to the community continued even after her death. She will be forever missed by her brother, Matt, her mother Carol, her father Ron and a host of family and friends. In recognition of Lauren Elizabeth Cole’s plans for a career in Parks and Recreation Management, this scholarship endowment is established in her memory.
Lauren Elizabeth Cole Endowed Scholarship
Lauren left us on
Sept.20, 2009
Sept.20, 2009
