The David Crockett High School Class of 1982 is pleased to announce a Memorial Scholarship in honor of classmates who have died that will be awarded to a graduating senior at David Crockett who will be attending ETSU. The first award will be presented spring 2023.
The scholarship was announced to the class on the weekend of September 30, as the Class of 1982 held four different events to celebrate their 40th high school reunion. According to Robin Smith Venner, reunion chair, almost 25 percent of their class attended one of the weekend’s events.
A tailgate before the Crockett football game on Friday night kicked off the celebratory weekend, followed on Saturday by a breakfast program at The Kitchen at Grace Meadows Farm in Jonesborough and an evening reception at the Holiday Inn in Johnson City. The weekend concluded with a picnic for the classmates and their families at Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport.
“It was surprising for many in the group to learn that over 10 percent of the class has passed away since graduation,” said Joe Huffine, a 1982 graduate who serves as co-chair of the scholarship committee who established the scholarship to honor all of those who have died.
The announcement was met with surprise and sadness by the class. Graduates Tina and David Eldridge, high school sweethearts who are now husband and wife, reflected on the sobering statistic.
“It was really shocking when we learned how many of our classmates were no longer with us,” said Tina.
Art Rambo, who co-chairs along with Huffine, said, “We all had friends from our class that we lost way too early.”
The Class of 1982 has completed the first step in establishing an endowment with ETSU for the scholarship. The organizers now have up to five years to fully fund it. The class has raised over 50 percent of the money needed to start the endowment, and they would like to invite the entire Crockett community to take part to help fulfill the wishes of scholarship recipients.
To contribute to the David Crockett Memorial Scholarship, you can visit their GoFundMe page titled “David Crockett Class of 1982 Memorial Scholarship.”
