Scholarship to honor late Harper trustee

A new scholarship is in the works at Harper College to honor a man who was dedicated to helping its students.

The Patrick S. Botterman scholarship fund already has thousands of dollars of donations from friends, family and politicians across the state.

Botterman, 44, died unexpectedly of a heart attack last week.

The Arlington Heights resident was a Harper trustee and worked with the Palatine community college's educational foundation.

His family decided to create the memorial fund through Harper, and trustees will vote tonight to establish the scholarship formally.

"We are honored that the family chose us as the beneficiary of Pat's memory," said foundation Executive Director Cathy Brod.

The hope is to create an endowed scholarship that will provide support to students who have a lot of the same characteristics as Botterman, Brod said