Fishing tournament provides scholarships, memorial
Winners of the tournament with nine pounds of fish were Brian Bragwell and Josh Smith.
The second annual Casey Stockton Memorial bass fishing tournament took place this past Saturday. Lisa Stockton, Casey’s mother, answered some questions about the tournament and explained why they decided to host it each year as a way to remember her son.
Second place with 8.9 pounds were Wayne Williams and Myron Holcomb.
When was the scholarship in memory of Casey established and who established it?
We established the scholarship in Casey’s memory when he passed away suddenly in December 2012. We asked that instead of flowers, that people make donations to the scholarship because we knew that the flowers would fade away but that a scholarship would be a way for us to keep Casey’s memory alive and to help a student pay for their college education.
Third place with 7.4 pounds were Gary Don Fleming and Bobby Boyd.
When we first started the scholarship it was only available to students at Russellville City Schools since that is where Casey graduated from in 2007. In 2014 we decided to award another scholarship in Casey’s memory to a Franklin County School senior as well. We felt like that since the Belgreen Bass Club was the one of the driving forces of the bass tournament, it would be great to give away another scholarship to a Franklin county student who was a member of their schools fishing team.
) Finishing fourth place with 6.15 pounds were Art Meadows and Keith Reid.
We awarded the first scholarship in May of 2013 to Jackson Smith from Russellville High School. The scholarship was awarded in 2014 to Chase Holland from Russellville High School and Lexi Bragwell from Belgreen High School. This year the scholarship was awarded to Luke Bendall from Russellville High School and Ben Inman from Belgreen High School.
Fifth place finishers with 6.11 pounds were Ronnie and Paxton Wray.
Why did you choose a scholarship as a way to honor Casey’s memory?
We want Casey’s memory to live on for forever. As a parent of a child who has passed away, you never want people to forget your child. For us, we felt that this would a way to keep his memory alive and to be able to help someone else. One of the qualifications of the scholarship is that the person has to write an essay about what kind of legacy they want to leave behind.
The Lucky Seven winners were Trent Richardson and A.J. Hopkins.
Who is eligible to receive the scholarship each year?
Students applying for a scholarship must be a graduating senior at their respective high schools at Russellville City or Franklin County. They must have a minimum 2.50 grade point average. For students at Russellville City Schools, they must participate as an athlete, male or female and includes any sport including the schools fishing team. The criteria is a little different for Franklin County schools as only members of the respective school’s fishing team members are eligible for the scholarship. All students must submit an essay on the topic “What Kind of Legacy I Wish to Leave Behind,” must have three letters of recommendation, must be a legal resident of Alabama and must be attending a junior college, technical school or university in the State of Alabama
Casey loved to fish, but elaborate on why you chose to have a bass tournament as a way to raise funds for the scholarship.
Casey was a member of the Belgreen Bass Club, and they were actually the ones who came to us and told us they wanted to have a tournament each year to honor Casey’s memory and to help fund the scholarship.
He loved the guys that were in the bass club; they were like a second family to him. He would come home on the nights they had their meetings and talk to us for hours about all that happened. It meant the world to us when they told us they were going to do this. Casey would be thrilled that they are having this tournament.
Casey loved to fish, and he loved the lakes in Franklin County. When he was a little boy, we would ask what he wanted to do for a career when he got older, and he always told us “I want to be a professional fisherman or to work at Mossy Oak as a hunting guide.”
What are your hopes for the tournament and the scholarship in the future?
Our goal is that this tournament will get bigger and better every year. Last year we had over 26 boats participate, and over 100 people showed up for the weight in. It was so special and so humbling for our family. This year the scholarship was awarded 501-C3 non- profit status by the IRS. Any donation that is made to the scholarship is now 100 percent tax deductible.
We would love to help more than two kids with a scholarship and to increase the amount that we give each year. We hope that this scholarship will be a tool that allows someone to fulfill their goal of going to college and living their life to the fullest.
It is our hope that the student who receives this scholarship will use it to make a difference in the community they call home and will always be willing to play it forward when they have a chance to make a difference – and that they will always remember our son Casey Stockton played a small part in making their future dreams a reality.
