Scholarships honor lives lost

When he arrived at USC Aiken in 2005, Alexander Bush fully intended to transfer to another college after two years.

That never happened. He appreciated his professors and the university and stayed on to graduate with an English degree in 2009.

Similarly, his longtime girlfriend, Katie Scott, had a great experience at Aiken Technical College to start her college career.

Shortly before the new year, Bush, 24, and Scott, 22, were driving on S.C. Highway 302 when a car crossed the median and struck them head-on. Bush was killed at the scene, and Scott died the next day at the Medical College of Georgia.

Bush was in his second year of law school at the Charleston School of Law, while Scott was studying theater at the College of Charleston.

Their legacies already include organ donations. Now they also will have college scholarships in their names. The Scott family has established the Katie Scott Memorial Education Scholarship at Aiken Technical College through the ATC Foundation. Bush's family has created the Alexander Bush Memorial Scholarship Fund at USCA.

"We just had to have something for her," Holly Scott said of her older sister. "We don't want her to be forgotten, and in this way, she will continue to help people."

Bush's grandmother, Joyce Ross, said she and her family have long-standing connections to USCA.

"He embraced it there and succeeded there," she said. "We immediately thought of a USC Aiken scholarship."

Alex and Katie were terrific young people with a love of learning, said his mother, Sheryl Bush, who hopes to have her son's scholarship endowed permanently. The Bush family has yet to set the criteria for that award.

The Scott Memorial will provide $500 for a student over two semesters. To be eligible, a student must be an Aiken High graduate and be enrolled full-time in ATC's university transfer program, pursuing a K-12 education and maintaining a 2.5 GPA.

"We were honored they thought of us," said ATC Foundation director Mary Commons. "We're going to help out with a letter campaign to the Scott family and friends and let them know this scholarship has been established. We have a transfer agreement with USCA. That will work out perfectly for students to finish their education degrees there."

Dr. Deidre Martin, a USCA vice chancellor, became friends with Ross through Ross' support of the university. While at the college, Bush occasionally stopped by Martin's office to say "hello."

"He was just a young man who made the most of every moment," said Martin. "He showed me that he enjoyed life and his experiences here at USCA. He was very special."

Ross started attending USCA in 1968, when the campus was at Banksia - now the Aiken County Historical Museum. Her late husband Charles was an engineer, and after retirement, he began taking humanities courses at the university. Alex's sister Emily and two of his cousins currently attend the college.

"Alex was going to study engineering, but he could write up a storm and loved to debate," Ross said. "So he chose English and then law. We've gotten letters from his law school professors. They talked about his smile and his ability to learn and how he craved learning."

At USCA, Bush was an officer in the campus chapter of the International English Honor Society and served as an intern for Department Chair Dr. Tom Mack.

"He was a leading light in the English program," Mack said, "distinguishing himself inside and outside the classroom."

Katie, too, was charming and funny, and her mother, Karen Scott, misses her daughter's smile every day.

"I've gotten over 50 cards, most from people I don't even know," Scott said. "They said once they met Katie, they always remembered her bubbly and outgoing personality."

Katie Scott also completed the cosmetology program at the Aiken County Career Center during high school, working in that field during school and for a year afterward. Her cosmetology instructor, Trina Greenwood, said she's thrilled about the scholarship.

"Katie was an amazing individual," Greenwood said via e-mail. "She always came to school with a smile on her face. Her mannequin for Senior Project is still in the front lobby, showing off her creative ability. Katie could always make you laugh. She is truly going to be missed."

ATC history instructor Dr. Bruce McCord recalled in two classes that Scott was outgoing and pleasant and hard-working. If she didn't grasp something right away, she would keep working at it till she mastered it.

"Katie lit up the night," said Joyce Ross. "She really blossomed at Aiken Tech. They got her started, and when she went to College of Charleston, she found her niche and was really successful at it."

Alex Bush enjoyed litigation and the courtroom and planned to go into criminal law. Katie Scott had previously thought about going into education. Yet as a theater major, she was indeed teaching, working with 5-year-olds in Charleston.

Their lives were cut tragically short, "but these scholarships are so appropriate for them," Sheryl Bush said. "They shared with us so many wonderful experiences and love."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.

Want to contribute?

* Scholarship: To donate to The Alexander Bush Memorial Scholarship Fund, a check may be made to the Aiken Partnership and sent to the USC Aiken Advancement Office, 471 University Parkway, Aiken 29801. For additional information, contact Dr. Deidre Martin at 641-3448 or at DeidreM@usca.edu.

* Scholarship: To donate to the Katie Scott Memorial Education Scholarship, send a check to the Aiken Technical College Foundation, P.O. Drawer 696, Aiken 29802. For more information, call ATC Foundation director Mary Commons at 593-9954, ext. 1332.