Memory of local 9/11 victim lives on through scholarship

LISBON, Ohio (WKBN)- The legacy of a former Wellsville woman lives on for generations in the form of a scholarship.

Catherine Salter was one of the thousands of people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93. Her memory will be honored at the Cathy Salter Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing in Lisbon on Saturday, July 6.

On 9/11, Salter was working on the 98th floor of the South Tower when tragedy and terror struck. She was a Vice President/Property Claims Manager for Aon Risk Services Inc., a worldwide insurance company.

Salter graduated as a Co-Valedictorian from Wellsville High School in 1982 and she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Cincinnati in 1986. In high school, she excelled athletically in volleyball, basketball, and track. She was posthumously inducted into the Wellsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023.

A former Wellsville classmate of hers, Jamie Hardman, had the idea to start a scholarship in her name in 2014. Hardman looked back fondly on his memories of Cathy.

“She was a person that I could hang out with. You know we always had a genuine friendship for each other,” Hardman said.

There are already two monuments honoring her in Wellsville, so Hardman wanted to start the scholarship.

“It was a way to keep her memory alive. It was a way to show kids in high school that somebody like her and an event like this could affect a town as small as ours,” he said.

The Cathy Salter Memorial Scholarship is a one-time $1,000 scholarship that is awarded to a graduating student at Wellsville High School. Since its inception in 2015, 10 graduating students have received the award. Hardman said that approximately $10,000 has been raised for the scholarship over the past few years. Hardman has raised money for the scholarship through the annual golf outing and raffles.

Kent State University student and East Liverpool native Emma Dieringer received the scholarship prior to her graduation from Wellsville High School in 2023. Dieringer is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with a minor in moderate to severe special needs. When she completes her degree, Dieringer will be able to teach students in grades K-5.

Dieringer never met Salter, but she thinks Cathy would appreciate being honored by her school and community.

“I feel like I resonate with her in the way that I’m very grateful for my community and my school and I think that that’s something that she would really appreciate,” Dieringer said.

Hardman thanked everyone who donated to the scholarship over the years.

“Honestly, I can’t do it without the people that help when fundraisers come out. They’re willing and ready and able to give me a hand. I can’t thank them enough,” Hardman said.

The annual golf scramble for the Cathy Salter Memorial Scholarship starts at 8 a.m. at Beaver Creek Meadows Golf Course on State Route 7 in Lisbon. There will be a 50/50 raffle and Chinese auction.

For more information on the Cathy Salter Memorial Scholarship and how to donate, you can visit the Cathy Salter Memorial Scholarship website.

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