Blakeman Memorial Scholarship awarded to four recipients

The Fall 2018 recipients of the J.B. Blakeman Memorial Scholarship were awarded at the eighth annual J.B. Blakeman Golf Scramble. The event was held this past September at the Eagle Trace Golf Course in Morehead and raised over $10,000 to support the scholarship.

 The recipients were Noah Damron of Pikeville, Trent Liles of Mt. Sterling and Nick Smith of Sandy Hook. In addition, the New Flyer Award recipient is Conner Barker of Clearfield.

Damron is a sophomore majoring in space science. He was recognized for his community service, including the Helping Hands backpack snack program and the Sterling Community Food Coalition in Mt. Sterling. Damron attended the Carlson Leadership Academy in Atlanta last spring and currently serves as Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) vice president of recruitment, where he has been instrumental in bringing in one of the chapter’s largest new member classes.

Liles is a sophomore majoring in computer information systems. He also attended the Carlson Leadership Academy and currently serves as the SigEp’s house manager. He participated in both intramural softball and basketball, and volunteered at both Helping Hands and the Cram the Cruiser event. Liles volunteers to maintain the computer database for Sterling Community Food Coalition in Mt. Sterling, keeping track of 10,000 visits from more than 2,000 individuals.  

Smith is a junior majoring in computer science. He attended SigEp’s summer planning retreat in Tennessee this year and currently serves on the standards board. Smith has been a supporter of Love Your Melon, which donates 50 percent of its profits to benefit children with pediatric cancer in the U.S. He has also assisted with setup and teardown of First Friday Market in Mt. Sterling, along with service to the Gateway Regional Arts Center and Sterling Community Food Coalition.  

Barker is a freshman in the BSN program. He was recognized for his accomplishments in academics, sports, volunteering and work, representing the Balanced Man ideal that fraternity member strive to exhibit. Barker is a new member of Sigma Phi Epsilon this fall.

The scholarship was established in 2012 in memory of Jeffery Scott “J.B.” Blakeman. A graduate of Morehead State University with an industrial technology degree, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and a Chi Omega sorority big brother. As an avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting, fishing and photographing wildlife. Blakeman loved golfing, was a member of the Eagle Trace Men’s Golf Association and was a proud supporter of Rowan County and Morehead State athletics. He passed away in September 2011 at the age of 52.

With these awards, more than $17,000 in scholarship funds have been awarded through the J.B. Blakeman Memorial Scholarship fund. Even with the amount of scholarship awards that have been made, the MSU Foundation announced this year that enough funds have been raised to establish a scholarship endowment, where the return on the funds will provide scholarship resources indefinitely.

For more information on the scholarship, contact MSU’s Office of Alumni Relations and Development at 606-783-2033, email giving@moreheadstate.edu or visit www.moreheadstate.edu/giving.

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Pictured from left to right are the fall 2018 scholarship recipients and members of the Blakeman family: Connor Barker, Taylor Blakeman Barney (11), Noah Damron, Vicki Collins Blakeman (81), Trent Liles, Kennedy Bryce Blakeman (18) and Nick Smith.