DATE: December 14, 2007

CONTACT: Ronnie Wingard, (803) 359-6191
rwingard@alltel.net

WRITER: Angela Nixon, (864) 656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Scholarship started in memory of Clemson student Taylor Cox

CLEMSON – Thanks to a family friend, future Clemson students will have the opportunity to obtain the degree sophomore Taylor Cox never got to complete. The Taylor A. Cox Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established to provide scholarships for civil engineering students from South Carolina.

Cox, 19, died Oct. 11 from a congenital heart condition, collapsing before an intramural flag football game. The Lexington native was a civil engineering major. Family friend Ronnie Wingard of Lexington thought starting a scholarship fund would be an appropriate way to remember Cox.

“While my wife and I were waiting three hours in line for the visitation for Taylor, you can't imagine the emotions that we experienced and noticed in other people. He was such a remarkable young man that we wanted to keep his memory alive,” Wingard said. “Taylor was an Eagle Scout and was always helping others. By establishing this scholarship in his memory, he will still be helping others for many years to come.”

Cox, a student in Clemson’s Calhoun Honors College, was a Palmetto Fellow and a Clemson Trustee Scholarship recipient. He was a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the Clemson Forest Activities Club, the Clemson Steel Bridge Team, the American Society of Civil Engineers and IPTAY Collegiate Club.

“Clemson University and its community have become quite special to the Cox family through its caring and generosity,” said father Michael Cox. “We are thankful for this opportunity to remember Taylor through this wonderful endowment. Knowledge, high expectations and lasting relationships were just a few gifts shared with our son during his life at Clemson. Through this scholarship, we hope many other gifted students will be provided the same opportunity.”

Checks can be made payable to the Clemson University Foundation, P.O. Box 1889, Clemson, S.C., 29633-1889, with an indication on the “for” line that the money is for the Taylor A. Cox Memorial Scholarship Fund. Gifts can also be made by calling (864) 656-5896 or online at http://www.clemson.edu/isupportcu.