Scholarship dinner honors Andrews
By Kylie Carter
News Writer
The Notre Dame community came together Thursday night in McKenna Hall to celebrate the 20th anniversairy of the Andrews Scholarship.
The Andrews scholarship was established in 1981 by Kathleen Andrews and John McMeel in honor of Jim Andrews, who passed away in 1980. Jim Andrews was Kathleen's husband and McMeel's business partner.
The evening started off with a video presentation of the Andrews scholarship and Summer Service Projects, produced by Father Steve Gibson. After dinner, Richard Conklin, associate vice president for University relations, spoke of his friend's passing and how the scholarship came into being. McMeel told Conklin that they should set up a scholarship in Andrews' name.
"It has to be something unique," McMeel said to Conklin. "It has to be Jim Andrews."
During that time, the Summer Service Project program was just getting started, and there were only five students. They decided that this would be the perfect direction for the scholarship, and since then, over 2,500 students have participated in the program, helping out tens of thousands of people all over the United States.
The Andrews scholarship helps smaller Notre Dame Alumni Organizations pay for the $1,700 scholarship given to students who participate in Summer Service Projects. Last summer, 77 students received the $800 Andrews scholarship and the associations contributed the remaining $900.
Charles Lennon, executive director and assistant vice president of the Alumni Association enthusiatically praised the scholarship and all those who have participated in the Summer Service Project program.
McMeel spoke on the importance of the program.
"When you go to the gate and Saint Peter asks you that one question ... Jim Andrews would have been waived straight through — and you [referring to the Summer Service Project participants] would be too. Because I think that the question would be `What have you done for the least of mine?' I think that's the most important question. And you've done a hell of a lot," he said.
Kathleen Andrews spoke last, and thanked the students for their volunteer work. "In the long pull ... let me tell you that you have enriched this entire campus. It's a beautiful ripple effect going on, and you are that stone that was thrown into the water," she said.
All News Stories for Friday, September 15, 2000
