Community Foundation Trustee Karlys Kline(L) joins Muse parents Pamela Meehan(C) and Donald Muse(R) in congratulating Dustin Muse Scholar/Athlete Scholarship recipients Paige Gaeng and Jaymes Jones.

Community Foundation Awards
First Dustin Muse Scholar/Athlete Scholarship

July 10, 2007: Governor Thomas Johnson High School graduates Paige Gaeng and Jaymes Jones are the recipients of the Community Foundation’s first Dustin Muse Scholar/Athlete Scholarship from The Dustin and Courtney Muse Memorial Fund.

Sixteen-year-old Dustin Muse was a quarterback for the Governor Thomas Johnson High School (T.J. High) Football Team and an outstanding student when he and his thirteen-year-old sister Courtney died in a car accident in December, 2006. To honor their memory, their parents, Pam Meehan and Don Muse, turned to the Community Foundation to establish The Dustin and Courtney Muse Memorial Fund to award scholarships to graduating scholar athletes of T.J. High and grants to support the performing arts. The Dustin Muse Scholar/Athlete Scholarship is awarded to T.J. High graduates who not only excel academically but also athletically, just as Dustin did.

While attending T.J. High, scholarship recipient Paige Gaeng was Team Captain of the Varsity Soccer and Basketball Teams yet also found time to volunteer for the Junior Auxiliary at Frederick Memorial Hospital. Additionally, she assisted with children’s liturgy as a youth minister at St. Katherine Drexel Catholic Church. Paige will be attending Gettysburg College in the fall, pursuing a degree in business.

Graduating first in his class at T.J. High while taking Advanced Placement courses, Jaymes Jones was Team Captain of the Football Team, a member of the Track and Field Team, and a member of the Olympic Weightlifting Club. He also volunteered as a student assistant coach for the Youth Football Program. Jaymes will attend Gettysburg College to study English.

Pam Meehan, Dustin’s mother, said there were many exceptional candidates for the scholarship, and choosing the recipients was tremendously difficult. “In my heart, though, I knew Jaymes and Paige would honor Dustin’s memory in the way he would have wanted.”

The impact Dustin had on the lives of others is reflected in the sentiments of the Dustin Muse Scholar/Athlete Scholarship recipients. “He wasn’t just the quarterback of the football team, but a great person and friend,” says Jaymes Jones. “He lived his life with constant charisma and joy.”

Paige Gaeng says that Dustin’s reputation for excellence both in school and on the athletic field is an inspiration. “I feel honored to be the recipient of The Dustin Muse Scholar/Athlete Scholarship.”

As a local leading resource for scholarships, The Community Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses and organizations to establish charitable funds to benefit the Frederick County community by providing grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to deserving students. To donate to The Dustin and Courtney Muse Memorial Fund, click here, or call 301.695.7660.