At first, she didn't even want to apply. She said it was too emotional. She didn't know Marcie Thomason but knew one of her sisters and said their families were close."It was probably the greatest honor I've ever received," said Leah Volk, the graduating senior from Henry Clay who received the first scholarship in Marcie Thomason's honor.
Volk, like Marcie Thomason, played soccer and will be moving to Washington, D.C., in the fall as a freshman at Georgetown University. She is considering studying international business.
This from Sean Rose of the Herald-Leader:
"It was really cool to be connected with (the Thomasons) because I've always looked up to them," she said.
More family traveled to Lexington to be a part of the award, Barbara Thomason said. Her other two daughters presented the scholarship to Volk.
The Thomasons called Volk an "amazing young woman," and the night one that they would never forget.
But giving back can't heal all the wounds caused last August.
Marcie Thomason was home then for the last leg of planning for her Sept. 30 wedding.She woke up at 4:30 a.m. the day of the crash to catch an early flight back to Washington, D.C., where she lived and worked. She and her fiance were going to look at houses that day, Barbara Thomason said.
[On August 27th] Bill Thomason drove his daughter from the home she grew up in to Blue Grass Airport [to catch Comair flight 5191].
Not long after the 6:05 a.m. takeoff, Barbara Thomason heard the phone ring in her house. It was her sister asking about Marcie.
"That just began the nightmare," Barbara Thomason said.
"How do you call your two daughters and tell them 'your sister's been killed in a plane crash?'" she said. "How do you call her fiance who's waiting at the airport for her in D.C. and tell him that she's not coming back?"
Despite time and support, in some ways, the nightmare stays.
During the award night, Volk's father had to get up and leave at one point to compose himself, Bill Thomason said. An art teacher in the audience started crying, and Barbara Thomason struggled with one of the first events for her daughter since the crash.
"The night of the scholarship presentation was really bittersweet because not only was it an opportunity to hold an award and remember Marcie but it was also a very public acknowledgement that she's gone and she's not coming back," Barbara Thomason said.
"To this day there's some moments when it just doesn't seem real and maybe she's still just in D.C," she said.
Bill and Barbara Thomason said they were blown away with the support they have received the last nine months. Still, healing is far off.
Bill Thomason sighed as he explained that the scholarship is made to honor her memory, not a method of healing.
"I don't think you ever heal," he said.
Photos by David Perry Herald-Leader
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A personal note:
From her earliest days, Marcie Thomason had "it." Other children at Cassidy Elementary School naturally gravitated toward her. She was friendly, cheerful, inquisitive, fun, a great student, a willing worker...an absolute delight. Barbara and Bill are the kind of parents every teacher wishes every child had. They loved their children, set high expectations for them, and the children soared. It's hard to assess the magnitude of the loss to the whole community. I feel certain Marcie would have continued to do great things.
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Donations to the $2,500 Marcie Reynolds Thomason Student-Athlete Memorial Scholarship can be sent to Henry Clay High School, 2100 Fontaine Road, Lexington, KY 40502.
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And this from the Cincinnati Post.
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