Fund Purpose Provides scholarship support for graduating seniors from Corydon Central High School who have participated in high school baseball for at least two total years.
Fund Story In August, 2002 Kent Watson was diagnosed with an Angio Sarcoma tumor in his heart. He was not expected to live but a couple of months. With his strong faith in God and his will to live, he beat the odds and survived four and a half years with this rare disease. He had an operation in 2003 to remove the tumor, which later spread to his liver. He spent four years taking chemo therapy and enduring many operations. During the majority of these four years, Kent carried on with life as normal as possible. He continued to work everyday, unless he was in the hospital. He would come to work after getting his chemo therapy. He either coached or helped to coach both of his children’s ball teams. He mowed grass, and did all the things that husbands and fathers do. He was always willing to help anyone who needed help. He gave EVERYTHING he had to everyone else.
Kent lost his battle with cancer April 22, 2007 but he never quit fighting and never gave up. The Kent Watson Baseball Scholarship Fund was created in Kent’s memory, not only to keep his memory alive, but to instill the importance of faith, determination, and having a positive attitude no matter what life throws your way.
Kent Watson lived a strong life. He did so by having a positive influence on the lives of others. He was an example to all, an inspiration to many, and a common, every day man on the surface that quietly set himself apart through his uncommon and extraordinary deeds and manner.
While a student at Corydon Central High School Kent played baseball earning 3 varsity letters and winning the annual Charlie Hustle Award at the end of his junior and senior seasons. He was neither the swiftest nor the strongest but managed to have an outstanding and positive impact on those Panther teams. He did so by displaying an exemplary attitude, leading by example and giving maximum effort at all times. Kent avoided the spotlight of individualism by giving credit to others and creating a sense of “team” among his teammates. He had a knack for making people feel better about themselves. Kent was the ultimate team player.
These attributes were apparent in all aspects of Kent’s life. He continued to live his life in much the same manner that he played the game of baseball; giving 100% all the time to every endeavor and every person while asking for nothing in return. After high school, he played on community leagues and spent over 20 years volunteering his time to coach Friends of Harrison County Youth baseball and softball teams. This scholarship is given to those that live their lives in this manner in the hope that they can continue to have that same positive influence on others as Kent did.
Fund Impact: 2008: Jeremy Smith 2009: Zachary Windell 2010: Zachery Anderson 2011: Tyler Jones 2012: Andrew Yeager 2013: Aaron Arnold 2014: Dalton Arnold 2015: Grant Smith 2016: Adam Yeager 2017: Alec Saulman 2018: Devin Fugate 2019: Gabriel Fleace 2021: Justin Drury 2022: Jarrett Willoughby