WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Two students from West Lafayette have been selected as the first recipients of the Wade Steffey Memorial Scholarship.
Aubrey Alana Beck and Tiffany Ann Bucher, who both attended William Henry Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Ind., will enter Purdue in the fall. The scholarship provides $2,500 for each of the students for the 2008-09 academic year.
The Wade Steffey Memorial Fund was created by Purdue to honor Wade Steffey, who died Jan. 13, 2007, when he entered an electrical vault in the basement of Owen Hall, a Purdue student residence building. His body was found March 19 after extensive searches by police agencies, university staff and hundreds of volunteers. Steffey, from Bloomington, Ind., was a National Merit Scholar and Eagle Scout who was majoring in aviation technology at Purdue.
“I really hope that Wade is remembered as a good friend to all kinds of people and that he built bridges between groups and brought people together,” said Dale Steffey, Wade’s father. “He was smart, kind and honest. We hope that this scholarship honors Wade and that it helps the university remember the extraordinary coming together that occurred when Wade was missing.”
While at Purdue, Beck plans to major in management and Bucher plans to major in science.
Evans and Bucher were selected based on their academic excellence, school and community involvement, and financial need, Steffey said.
Purdue created the Wade Steffey Memorial Scholarship endowment as part of a settlement with the Steffey family. Students eligible for the scholarship must be from Indiana and plan to attend Purdue.
