Mackenzie McDermott

Family and friends established the Mackenzie Kathleen McDermott Memorial Scholarship Fund in loving memory of the Truman student who passed away in October 2014. Mackenzie was a junior from Springfield, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo., majoring in both English and sociology/anthropology.

Mackenzie’s parents, Stacy Pratt McDermott and Kevin McDermott, chose to create a scholarship fund at Truman to honor their daughter’s memory and to provide financial support for future generations of Truman students who, like Mackenzie, possess a passion for creative writing. The fund will provide annual scholarship support for a Truman student majoring or minoring in creative writing. It is the first Foundation scholarship for creative writing students.

A number of benefits organized by her friends and family have helped the fund reach the endowment level. One benefit, “Music for Mac,” was held in St. Louis and was organized by co-workers of Mackenzie’s father Kevin at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. This benefit provided an opportunity for friends and family to share one of Mackenzie’s great loves–music–while also supporting her scholarship with more than $2,500 in gifts.

The Mackenzie Kathleen McDermott Memorial Scholarship will make its inaugural award in the fall. The scholarship has already received more than $18,000 from nearly 150 gifts since its creation.