Recipients of the prestigious George Lauder bursary have been given the seal of approval by a descendant of the man who was Carnegie’s inspiration.
Two Fife College students — James Hutt from Kinnesswood and Craig Duncan from Kirkcaldy — are preparing for the trip of a lifetime to study in America this summer.
They were picked from dozens of entries.
What has made it even more special is the great-great-grandson of Lauder, William Garner, has given the award his seal of approval.
William and his family, who live in Virginia and also Washington DC, have visited the college on a number of occasions.
William had lunch with the students and heard about their plans.
The bursary is funded through annual contributions from Lauder’s descendants and other friends of the college in America and administered by the St Andrew’s Society of the State of New York.
William said: “I am thrilled that my trip to Scotland has coincided with the George Lauder bursary award – it has been wonderful to meet James and Craig who are both truly deserving and I’m certain will benefit hugely from their trip to the USA and learning experiences.
“My great-great-grandfather George Lauder would be delighted to know that a scholarship like this was being awarded in his name in Dunfermline, enabling generations after him to benefit from experiences that will enhance their futures.”
The bursary celebrates the vision of George Lauder, the uncle of Andrew Carnegie, in promoting the foundation in 1899 of a further education college in Dunfermline, now known as Fife College.
James, 24, who is currently studying HND architectural technologies, plans to study at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
“My next step after Fife College is to go on to study architecture – this experience will give me the chance to stand out from the crowd and hopefully secure a place at university,” he said.
Craig, 22, plans to study social psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
He added: “Getting this opportunity is the icing on the cake for me – I never thought that I would get a chance like this, it’s a dream come true.”
Trust fundraiser Gaynor Jamieson said: “Throughout a rigorous selection process, they both demonstrated a great commitment for the subject areas that they are currently studying and a real passion to explore and develop this further in the USA.
“I would like to thank the descendants of George Lauder, the other friends of the college based in the USA and the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York for their continued support that allows this once in a lifetime opportunity to be offered to our students.”
