Doug Williams Memorial Scholarship
2023 Doug Williams Memorial Scholarship
We are very pleased to announce this year’s winners of the Doug Williams Memorial Scholarship who each received a check for $1,000 at the Montclair High School Senior Awards Ceremony held on Monday, June 12.
Ava Butler
Richard Fortune
We would like to thank everyone who supported the memorial run in Doug’s honor or who made a donation with a special thank you to Fleet Feet Montclair for their continued support of the scholarship. It is presented each year in memory of Doug who was a graduate of Montclair High School and a beloved member of the Essex Running Club when he was killed by a hit and run driver on Upper Mountain Ave in October 2011.
Recipients of the scholarship are selected from the graduating class at Montclair High School based on the following criteria:
Outstanding participation in track and field / cross country
Academic excellence
Leadership and community service
Expected participation in track and field / cross country at college
Ava and Richard have been outstanding athletes at Montclair High School competing in both indoor and outdoor track. They will both be continuing their athletic careers on the University level.
Ava has committed to become a member of the track and field team at Ithaca College. During her time at MHS, Ava has grown into an exceptional athlete and leader for not only the sprints group but the for the whole team. As an MHS athlete, she will graduate with 6 Varsity letters and has achieved all county or All Conference honors most seasons in track, finishing with all state and All-American honors this past winter season. At the recent spring season sectional championship, Ava finished third place in the 200 meter dash. At the relay events, Ava was a vital leg on the second place 4x100 and third place on the 4x400. (Personal Records Indoors: 200 Meter Run 25.69; 300 Meter Run 42.62; 400 Meter Run, 1:01.71. Outdoors [at beginning of season]: 200m, 26.01.)
Richard has completed over 200 hours of volunteer time with the town's recreation track program as an assistant coach. He has truly become a student of throwing and loves it. Over the past 4 years, Richard has been named to all conference and all county teams for all 3 seasons since his sophomore year. This past year he has had an exceptional indoor season. Qualifying automatically for the indoor group after winning the state sectional championship and making it to the NJ Meet of Champions as a wild card where he finished 14th in the state. At the spring season sectional championship, Richard finished second overall in both the Shot Put and Discus. Richard will continue his throwing career New Haven University. (Personal Records Indoors: Shot Put, 51-3.25ft; Outdoors [at the beginning of the season]: Shot Put, 51-9.5ft; Discus, 145-2ft; Javelin, 137-4.)
Congratulations to both Ava and Richard on this very well-deserved award! We wish them all the best in their college careers. This is the 12th year we have awarded these scholarships and they join the past winners listed below with the colleges they attended.
2022 - Reuven Frye (Bates College) and Kiya Lawson (Howard University)
2021 - Stephanie Webb (Lehigh University) and Jessie Legister (Northeastern University)
2020 - Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel (University of Chicago) and Aidan Ward (Wesleyan University)
2019 - Matilda Ferguson (Swarthmore College), Eleanor Keating (Haverford College) and Stefan Urquidi (Jefferson University)
2018 – Elizabeth Cummings (Towson University) and Dale Ross (Wesleyan)
2017 - Amelia Lufrano (Dickinson College) and Benjamin Cahill (Wesleyan)
2016 - Lia Schattner (Washington University) and Grant Van Inwegen (Wesleyan)
2015 – Stephani Hayes (Lehigh University) and Connor O’Brien (Rutgers)
2014 – Eliana Tyler (Vassar College) and Henry Whipple (Hamilton College)
2013 – India Hill (Widner University) and Jackson Brietzke (West Point)
2012 – Carole Johnson and Henzley Meghie