The Lee Buchholz Memorial Scholarship was presented to three students by his son Erik.
At the Washington High School Awards Ceremony, former Washington High School principal and current St. James principal Erik Buchholz shared some insight on his late-father’s caring personality and his vast career in education, “From early in his teaching career he was known as Mr. B. Some of you here might remember him as the ‘candy jar man.’ Or most of you might actually remember him for his singing of the National Anthem before several athletic events here at Washington High School. After receiving his Masters, he used it to teach teachers. His education never ended. After retiring from Columbus Junction, he worked the ELL program at Kirkwood and then went back to teaching music at St. James, by filling the role of a teacher who was suffering from cancer. Retiring for the third time, he found himself subbing in the Washington Community School system for the next 20 years. He said he loved it because the students always treated him so well, and it made him feel young, and gave him purpose.”
He passed away in December at the age of 87. Erik shared the plan was to present two scholarships annually, but that wasn’t the case this year, “Dad loved giving, which is why I’m here tonight. Dad truly believed to teach someone was to touch a life forever, and he wanted to pass along his beliefs to someone who he felt could make a difference in the lives of others as well. Dad wanted to give one male and one female $1,000 each to go to college and to become a teacher. This year we had three females who filled out the applications. And I’m happy to say, like Dad, I can’t just give it to one.”
Those three students are Claire Robinson, Taylor Moore, and Mia Schrock.
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