The East Lake Foundation today announced seven recipients of the 2012 Charles W. Harrison Scholarship. The Foundation recognized Gregory Addonizio, Kyle Barry, Thaddius Callaway, Arthur Charles Hagan, Graham Lutz, Christopher Mulgrave and Mark Putnam with scholarships that will help support ongoing study at local universities. Addonizio and Hagan attend Kennesaw State University; Barry, Callaway, Lutz and Mulgrave attend Georgia State University, and Putnam attends Georgia Institute of Technology. Callaway, Hagan, Lutz and Mulgrave are repeat winners.
The Charlie Harrison Scholarship, which until 2004 was known as the Caddy Scholarship, provides opportunities for employees of the East Lake Golf Club and Charlie Yates Golf Course who exemplify character, integrity and leadership. The East Lake Foundation supports ‘cradle-to-college’ education for children living in The Villages of East Lake and the East Lake neighborhood, which includes both golf courses. Over 75 Harrison Scholarships have been awarded since the program began in 1998. The scholarship honors Charles W. Harrison, Georgia golf legend, East Lake neighbor and dedicated instructor in The First Tee® of East Lake. This year’s winner Barry has been a participant in The First Tee of East Lake program.
Hagan, accepting his scholarship at the awards dinner, thanked the East Lake Foundation for the recognition. “Had fate never led me to this job, my life would be much different.” He added, “If we could tell (golfing legend) Mr. Bobby Jones that all the proceeds from one of the most important tournaments of the year, the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, goes to the revitalization of this historic and diverse community, the benefit of the youth, the support of education, and to strengthen the game in his home city, we surely would have his blessing and support. I cannot think of a greater motto than “Golf With a Purpose” for a place where philanthropy thrives.”
Past Harrison Scholarship recipients have gone on to achieve success in both college and careers. LaShanta Davis, a three-time Harrison Scholarship winner who worked at the East Lake Golf Club, is now a Pre-K teacher at Charles R. Drew Charter School. She cites her experiences at the Club as one of several reasons she chose to teach at Drew Charter School. Roi Johnson, a four-time Harrison Scholarship winner, caddied at the East Lake Golf Club for several years. In May, he graduated with honors from Georgia State University and, after two summers of finance internships on Wall Street, began working with SunTrust Bank in Atlanta in June.
