Jeffrey Ray Vernon Scholarship awarded

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Jeff Vernon is living on.
Jeff was born Feb. 27, 1966 with a complex heart defect that led doctors to believe he wouldn’t live past his 18th birthday. They were wrong.
A 1990 CMU broadcast and cinematic arts graduate, Jeff lived for 33 years. He died May 1, 1999, after waiting nine months to receive a heart transplant.
When Jeff died, his mother and father, Hilde and Ray Vernon, decided to donate his usable bone and tissue. Sixty-one people have been recipients of Jeff’s gift of life. But it hasn’t stopped there. Wanting to give in the spirit of their son, Hilde and Ray set up the Jeffrey Ray Vernon Annual Scholarship.
Amber Miller, Eastpointe junior, is the first person to receive the award and she said she thinks it is really great that the family set up the scholarship and she hopes she is able to provide them with the knowledge that because of Jeff she will be able to seek what she really wants to do in life.
“I hope that they see that I am working toward the goal of being in broadcasting. I am so actively pursuing what I really want to do in life – I hope that’s why they picked me,” Miller said.
“He’s living on through (the scholarship).”
Peter Orlick, chair of the broadcast and cinematic arts department, said Jeff was a very active student in Moore Hall TV.
“He did lots of things on the technical side for us and made a big contribution for the development of Moore Hall TV,” Orlick said. “This was back when we had some really awful equipment. Jeff was able to make it function.
“With that scholarship he is continuing to enable other students to complete their career preparation in the electronic media. (Jeff) did very well. He assisted other students and he’s continuing to assist them through the scholarship.”
“It is the family’s wish that this scholarship be awarded for the excellency of service in pursuing a career in broadcasting,” reads the Jeffrey Ray Vernon Annual Scholarship informational brochure.
“Yet, it should not occur without the recipient’s recognition and acknowledgement of the God given gift of life, no matter how weak and how frail.”
Jeff’s mother, Hilde Vernon, said her family wanted the requests to be included because life means so much to them.
“We just wanted people to acknowledge the value of life. Yes, life is valuable.”
Scholarship information can be obtained from the department of broadcast and cinematic arts at 774-3851.