Scholarship founded to honor McNamara

During his many years writing about Maryland athletics, John McNamara always took interest in helping the student reporters from The Diamondback. McNamara saw himself in those aspiring young journalists since he covered Maryland football and basketball for the student newspaper as an undergraduate at the College Park campus. The Bethesda native, a 1983 Maryland graduate, served as sports editor and also managing editor of The Diamondback. McNamara moved on to cover Maryland athletics for the Herald-Mail in Hagerstown, The Capital in Annapolis and the Prince George’s Journal. McNamara was killed during the attack on the Capital Gazette newsroom in June. The 56-yearold Silver Spring resident was one of five employees allegedly gunned down by a Laurel man who held a long-standing grudge against the newspaper. Last week, Maryland announced that a scholarship in McNamara’s name has been established for undergraduates in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. One basic premise of the John McNamara Memorial Scholarship is that recipients must be aspiring sportswriters. “I think a scholarship is one of the best ways to honor someone’s legacy because it is recognition that education was important to their success,” said Lucy A. Dalglish, dean of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Dalglish joined McNamara’s widow, Andrea Chamblee, to sign paperwork officially creating the new scholarship. Douglas and Mary Donatelli, philanthropists who were close friends with McNamara, were also on hand. “I’m so delighted,” Chamblee said following the signing ceremony. “It would have meant the world to John to be remembered as a sportswriter and a mentor to students.” To donate to the scholarship fund, visit the following link: giving.umd.edu. developed the HERO model, a four-part program that applies the physical, emotional and social aspects of rehabilitation through golf. Baltimore’s Classic Five will be accepting donations at each course’s pro shop Monday. For tee times and information on Baltimore’s Classic Five, go to classic5golf.com. For information on Links to Freedom, go to linkstofreedom.org.