Five students awarded Phil Davis Scholarships

Columbia College-Lake of the Ozarks

June 4, 2014

Columbia College-Lake of the Ozarks’ Director Dr. John Keeney recently announced the five students from the Lake area that received the 2014 edition of the Phil Davis Scholarship. The honorees are:

$1,000 Scholarship Recipients

Lori Curtman - Iberia, Mo. – Senior – Hum. Services

Tim Schull – Rocky Mount, Mo. – Senior – Bus. Admin.

David Walker – Lake Ozark, Mo.– Senior – Bus. Admin.

$500 Scholarship Recipients

April Cotton – Eldon, Mo. – Senior – Psych./Elem. Ed. Cert.

Kristen Diefenbach – Tuscumbia, Mo. – Senior – Psych./Elem. Ed. Cert.

The scholarship is named in honor of, Gerald ‘Phil’ Davis, a former Columbia College – Lake of the Ozarks student and was created in 1996 by his wife, Barbara Davis, and Dr. Mary Luetkemeyer, an English professor at the Lake campus at the time. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be of junior or senior status, maintain a 3.0 GPA and make a positive contribution to the campus community. Campus faculty members nominate and select the winners each spring.

Due to the generosity of faculty, staff and alumni, the scholarship has grown and the campus was able to add three additional scholarship winners while providing $4,000 in scholarships compared to $1,000 in 2013.

“These students embody the qualities the Phil Davis Scholarship focuses on and demonstrate a willingness to encourage and assist their fellow students,” said Dr. John Keeney, director of Columbia College – Lake of the Ozarks. “We are pleased to honor these three individuals with this prestigious scholarship as they continue their good works in the classroom and around the campus community.”

Davis is remembered fondly for his dedication to the community and the pursuit of his education. He volunteered with the local fire department and also devoted many hours of his time to his fellow students. Davis passed away from cancer only a few classes short of obtaining his bachelor’s degree.