A new scholarship will be available to College of Charleston students, thanks to the family of Billy Silcox who has spent a lifetime with the College. He is an alumnus (1965), led the Cougars to a national tennis championship, and still works out with the team. The Willard A. “Billy” Silcox Jr. alumni scholarship was announced at the 2011 Alumni Awards Gala held November 10 in Charleston. The crowd was on its feet when the Silcox family made the surprise announcement of the scholarship in honor of their father who received the event’s highest honor, the Alumni Award of Honor. Watch a video.

The annual Alumni Awards Gala recognizes extraordinary individuals, who have made significant contributions to their communities, their professions and to the College. Although from different backgrounds, they share the characteristics of leadership, progressive thinking and confidence that for many were first nurtured at the College.

In addition to Silcox, this year’s alumni award recipients included:

John F. Tisdale ’86, the medical researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. who has made a breakthrough in treating sickle cell disease through bone marrow transplants. Tisdale received the Pre-Medical Society’s Outstanding Service Award in Medicine. Watch a video.

Harry T. “Trey” Harvin III ’92 is the former CEO of one of the largest international mobile Internet applications, dotMobi based in Dublin, Ireland. Harvin received the Howard F. Rudd, Jr. Business Person of the Year Award. Watch a video.

Kellie N. Bentz ’04 is a national and international disaster relief director for the Points of Light Institute and the HandsOn Network. Bentz was instrumental in coordinating disaster relief efforts in Haiti in 2010 and Japan in 2011. Bentz received the Alumna of the Year Award. Watch a video.

Cyrus A. Buffum ’06, Charleston’s first Waterkeeper, has dedicated his time and life to preserving and protecting our basic right for clean water. Buffum received the Young Alumnus of the Year Award. Watch a video.

Neil W. Draisin ’65 is a renowned optometrist and dedicated advocate for children’s eye health. Draisin was recently named the South Carolina Optometrist of the Year. Draisin received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Watch a video.

The evening’s program, emceed by the 2010 Distinguished Alumnus award recipient Charles T. “Bud” Ferillo, Jr. ‘72, highlighted the achievements of the award recipients with video profiles and the presentation of a newly designed award. The sleek, bronzed statue of a cougar was created by renowned artist and former College of Charleston professor John Michel, and was presented to all recipients by Jeffery E. Kinard ’77, Alumni Association past president. John Michel is also the sculptor of the cougar statue at the entrance to campus known as Cougar Mall (between the Maybank and Robert Scott Small buildings) and the cougar statue at the Meeting Street entrance to TD Arena.

For more information and pictures from the events, visit www.alumni.cofc.edu.