2009 GAME ON SCHOLARSHIP WINNER: DAVID MCCAFFREY

The Board of Directors and Scholarship Committee of The Jack H. Marston II Melanoma Fund proudly introduce Glenbard West Senior, David McCaffrey, as the 2009 "Game-On" Scholarship Recipient. The scholarship was presented May 27, 2009 at the Seniors Honors Convocation, by the Marston children.

David will attend the University of Illinois in the Fall and plans to major in aviation with a minor in business marketing.

David’s extracurricular activities include: Football (4 years) all-conference/all area; Baskeball (4 years) team captain; Baseball (2 years); Track (2 years); Jay Kyle Braid Leadership Representative (3 years) and Senior Mentor. Community Activities: Youth Group (4 yrs) community service.

Other Awards: David received the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, a significant achievement awarded to six Glenbard West students. It honors students who demonstrate unusual and outstanding efforts in achieving personal goals and/or successfully meeting school and personal challenges; showing through words, actions, or deeds significant leadership and contributing his or her time to community or other volunteer services.

Excerpt from David McCaffrey’s Essay: 

… Athletics can teach people many important life lessons, such as respect, teamwork, pride and self-discipline. But, without putting your heart and soul into your sport, you will never learn these lessons. I believe there are two kinds of people in everyone -- Their normal, everyday self and their competitive self. The everyday side of a person should be respectful and courteous, but the competitive side is another story. The competitive side of a person should only come out on the field or court. When I am playing in a game, I am a very different person. I become angry and focused. And in the words of the Glenbard West football coach Chad Hetlet, “Go to the nasty place where no one can stop you.”

… People always talk about how sports can teach you to be competitive and to never give up. But I believe that they teach you another important lesson that is discussed less; humility. I do not win all of the games I play in, but losses are just as important as wins when it comes to life. Life will always be ups and downs, so it is important to know how to not only handle success, but failure as well.

Excerpt David McCaffrey’s Thank You.

“I wanted to thank each one of you personally for giving me the honor of receiving the prestigious Jack H. Marston II “Game On” Memorial Scholarship. I am very honored to now be mentioned with the other recipients of this scholarship. Each of them has been an outstanding student athlete and an even better person. To be a part of this group is a very great honor and from the bottom of my heart I truly appreciate it. The financial reward from this scholarship is not the most valuable thing to me. This scholarship is a statement that proves I have played sports the right way and makes all of the work I put into athletics worthwhile. I know that choosing a recipient for this scholarship was very difficult because there are many other worthy student athletes who deserve recognition as much as I did … “