Your news: Scholarships honor former Harper College trustees
Patrick Botterman and David K. Hill served Harper College's board of trustees for years, tirelessly advocating for affordable, accessible education. Now their legacy lives on. The Harper College Educational Foundation this month awarded the inaugural David K. Hill Memorial Scholarship and the Patrick Botterman Scholarship for Student Leadership in honor of the two former trustees, who died in 2008.
"It was an honor to hand out scholarships that bear the names of two people who were so important to the Harper community," says Catherine Brod, vice president of Community Relations and executive director of the Harper College Educational Foundation. "Both Patrick Botterman and David Hill understood the mission of a community college, and these scholarships help us live our goal of helping students succeed."
The Hill scholarship, one of the most prestigious science honors attainable by a Harper student, went to chemistry major Amit Patel. Patel, a Buffalo Grove resident and Buffalo Grove High School graduate, holds a 4.0 grade point average and plans to eventually receive his master's degree. He says he'd like to pursue a science career in a field that will help others; he's considered both energy research and medical research.
The first-ever Botterman scholarship went to Joseph O'Malley of Elk Grove village, who graduated on the Dean's Honors List this spring and will transfer to Illinois State University this fall. He plans to become a Spanish teacher. His goal is to use his education to make a difference in the world - and he's hopeful his future students will learn the Spanish language to help bridge a growing communication gap.
Botterman, a Wheeling Township Democratic Committeeman first elected to Harper's board in 1998, played a key role in Harper's successes and growth for more than 10 years. He died suddenly from a heart attack in spring 2008, leaving behind a legacy of support for Harper students.
Hill, the founder of Kimball Hill Homes, was appointed to the college's board in 2004, and elected to a four-year term in 2005. He was an avid supporter of student scholarships, the cultural arts, and deaf and hard-of-hearing students; the College's Deaf Institute now bears the Hill family name. He died in summer 2008 after a battle with cancer.
To donate to the scholarships or for details on giving to Harper's Educational Foundation, visit harpercollege.edu/giving or call (847) 925-6940.
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