The Gary Atkinson Imagine Scholarship

12-5-2023 Update:

As of today, the home for the Gary Atkinson Imagine Scholarship has moved to a new dedicated website, Imagine Scholarship dot org. The Scholarship Steering Group asks that you make donations there, where we have multiple options for donating: by credit card, Venmo or plain old mail us a check. The added benefit is it makes your donation eligible for tax deductibility.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

--------------

The Gary Atkinson Imagine Scholarship — sponsored by LHS Class of 1973, will be awarded annually to a promising Ledyard High School graduating senior. Gary was taken from us altogether too early, perishing among the 270 victims of the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie tragedy.

Contemplating their fiftieth reunion in 2023, members of the LHS Class of 1973 established The Gary Atkinson Imagine Scholarship. The scholarship aims to financially support the LHS graduate who best exemplifies Gary’s respected qualities. e.g. those who:

*Demonstrate leadership in making their world (LHS or their outside community) a better place

*Exhibit kindness, understanding, and compassion toward others, even under difficult circumstances

*Invest in efforts to advance their capacity to make greater altruistic contributions

*Show an ability to bring out the best in others

The inclusion of “Imagine” in the scholarship name, incorporates the Class of ‘73’s wish to highlight the sentiment of John Lennon’s song by that same name that was released during their time at LHS. Through his actions, Gary exemplified the words “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you will join us and the world will be as one.”