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Scholarship tourney truly a real classic
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| By: Gwen
McNamara , Staff Writer |
07/15/2003 |
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Softballers honor terror victim
Suarez.
WEST WINDSOR — More than 100 softball
enthusiasts came out to West Windsor-Plainsboro High School
South on Saturday to raise funds and have some fun in the
Second Annual David Suarez Softball
Classic.
The event raised money for the
David Suarez Family & Friends Scholarship Fund, which was
created to honor David Suarez's memory after he died in the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center.
"Education was very important to
David," said Carol Suarez, his mother. "He played hard, but he
studied hard, too."
David Suarez, 24, was
working on the 99th floor of the north tower as a systems
consultant for Deloitte Consulting when the attack occurred.
He grew up in West Windsor, graduated from West
Windsor-Plainsboro High School in 1995 and was co-captain of
the varsity wrestling team.
He went on to
Penn State, graduating with a bachelor's degree in industrial
engineering in 1999. While in college he was a member of the
Kappa Alpha fraternal order and helped raise funds for
children with cancer. Later, while working for Deloitte
Consulting, he also volunteered for New York Cares, an
organization assisting underprivileged
residents.
With the assistance of David
Suarez's parents, the scholarship fund was created by several
of David's friends to give a scholarship to a West
Windsor-Plainsboro High School graduating senior and a Penn
State student.
Last year, the Softball
Classic raised more than $8,000 for the scholarship fund and
recently a $500 scholarship was awarded to J.T. Hutchinson, a
senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School
South.
"Everyone that ever met David was
a better person because of it," said Jeffrey Tobias, a college
friend of David's and chairman of the Softball Classic. "We
didn't know what to expect when we started out, but the
response has been amazing.
"(Saturday)
was a bittersweet day, but it was definitely a great day and
spirits were high," he added.
On
Saturday, eight teams with members from as far away as Houston
and the Caribbean, competed and enjoyed the day's warm sunny
weather. Hamburgers and hotdogs as well as other refreshments
were available and more than 20 prizes, including a $1,200
diamond necklace, were raffled off.
Rep.
Rush Holt (D-12) was on hand to announce the winner of that
grand-prize diamond necklace.
"We are
overwhelmed as a family at the outpouring of support," Ms.
Suarez said. "That people two years later would give up their
vacations to spend money to fly here and do this is
incredible."
Mr. Tobias said he does not
have the final tally on how much this year's Softball Classic
raised, but estimates the scholarship fund will receive an
amount at least equal to what was raised last
year.
"We had great weather and a lot of
fun," he said. "There's not much more we could have asked
for."
For more information on the David Suarez
Friends & Family Scholarship Fund or the Second Annual
David Suarez Softball Classic, visit the Web site
www.davidsuarez.org
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