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Memorial scholarship continues education
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For the second year since her son's death, one mother is continuing to help Dawson County students take advantage of an opportunity her son never had the chance to complete.

Ethelyn Geiger, the mother of accidental drowning victim David Wood, whose body was found in Lake Lanier in January 2013, presented the winning Dawson County High School wrestlers with the scholarship named for her son during the May 7 honors night.

"Our family created the David Bruce Wood Jr. Memorial Wrestling Scholarship, in honor of my son, who passed away [last] year," Geiger said.

This year's David Bruce Wood Jr. Memorial Wrestling Scholarship went to Gavin Brown, Quade Buytendorp, Justin Evans, Gilbert Pruitt and Ty Williams.

The scholarship is made available annually to graduating seniors who have wrestled and are accepted to a college or university to continue their education beyond high school.

The criteria will also include a review of their academic achievement, financial need and other factors.

"As many of you know, David wrestled here at the high school throughout his entire high school career," Geiger said. "While our lives are forever changed with David's passing, we know David would want us to go on with our lives but of course we want to keep his memory alive, and one of the ways we have decided to do that is by creating this memorial fund."

Geiger said that it was the family's wish "to do something to give back to the community, especially to honor David's memory for something he was so passionate about."

The scholarship is a one-time payment of $500 to go toward college education and will be paid directly to the college.

"We created this scholarship in honor of David," Geiger said. "David was very dedicated to wrestling in Dawson County - and he was quite a character. I know he meant a lot of different things to so many different people in this community."