On March 30, 2015 Josh Lee sent out a tweet that read, "I'm not striving to make my presence known but instead to make my absence felt."
He had no way of knowing the profound impact his words would have just a little more than six months later. Josh, along with three of his fellow student athletes from the University of South Carolina Upstate, was killed in a single car crash on October 11.
Laurie and Johnny Lee, Josh's parents, feel his absence every day in every fiber of their being.
The couple established the Josh Lee Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor their son and to pay it forward for future track and field student athletes.
Previous coverage: Broome alumnus, USC Upstate runner dies in car crash; Skip Frye remembers runner
"Josh loved USC Upstate and he was passionate about his teammates, professors, classmates and administrative staff," said Laurie, who graduated from the University in 2004. "This is our way of honoring him."
According to Bea Walters Smith, director of development and foundation scholarships, said the students eligible to receive the scholarship must meet the following criteria: be a member of cross country or track team, have a minimum 3.0 GPA and completed 30 credit hours at USC Upstate. "If award recipients maintain good standing on the team and 3.0+ GPA, the scholarship will be renewable for three years."
