Over the past 14 years, Duane Earle Young regularly mentored and guided aspiring Physical Therapist Assistants through his role as clinical manager for Pardee Memorial Hospital’s Rehab and Wellness Center.
After he passed away in September of last year, his wife Sherri and daughters Cassie and Courtney wanted to find some way for Duane’s legacy to continue touching lives of those entering the profession.
That’s why they decided to create the Duane Young, MSPT, Endowed Memorial Academic Excellence Scholarship Fund at Southwestern Community College. It will be awarded each year to the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) student with the highest GPA entering the program’s second year.
The first scholarship will be awarded this fall.
“Because he was a very fiscally responsible man, Duane really believed in the value of community colleges,” said Sherri Young, who lives in Flat Rock and visited SCC’s Jackson Campus last month and toured the college’s PTA lab and classroom. “We felt that supporting students in their education would be a way for them to learn about the qualities Duane Young had as far as being a physical therapist and providing the most optimal care possible, and that they could strive to be like him in their own careers.”
Susan Kimel, the Clinical Coordinator and Instructor for SCC’s Physical Therapist Assistant program, worked closely with Duane Young to arrange placements for Southwestern’s second-year students.
“Every student who was placed with him came back and talked about him and the positive impact he had on them,” Kimel said. “We are extremely thankful for his support of our program over the years, and I can think of no better way to honor his memory than by creating this scholarship to help future Physical Therapist Assistants to become as dedicated to our profession as he was in his career.”
The new endowment is among more than a half-dozen to be created this academic year through the SCC Foundation, which last year awarded a record number of scholarships to students who might otherwise not have been able to attend college.
“On behalf of our current and future PTA students, I am extremely grateful to Sherri, Cassie and Courtney for choosing to honor Duane in this way,” said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC President. “A high percentage of our students rely on financial assistance to complete their college degrees, so I have no doubt this endowment will have a profound impact on many lives in the years ahead.”
For more information about the Duane Young, MSPT, Endowed Memorial Academic Excellence Scholarship Fund or to learn about other giving opportunities at Southwestern, contact Brett Woods at 828.339.4241 or b_woods@southwesterncc.edu.
