Contributed by Jennifer McCurdy • Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — It was such an honor to participate in the first ever Scott Bateman Memorial Scholarship made possible by Regions Bank and the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce. The scholarship was awarded to Joshua Baine, a graduate of Fort Payne High School this year.

I want to begin by saying a few words about Scott Bateman. Scott served on the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for ten years. While I only knew him a few months, I admired him so much. He was a mentor to me in my role as Executive Director of the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce. More than that, he was loved by so many and made such a positive impact on so many lives in Fort Payne and beyond.

Being a leader in the community was important to Scott, and he didn't just talk about it, he lived it. Scott was very involved in his Church, Wills Valley Community Church, and a supporter of all things Fort Payne. In everything Scott did he did so with a Servant's heart. Prayer was important to Scott when making decisions, and he so often reminded us that when you have a difficult decision to make or really any decision, pray about it. Scott always brought reason to any discussion he was such an asset to the Chamber and we sure do miss him.

Scott's wife Vickie serves as Chairwoman of our Chamber Ambassador Program and helped us select this year's recipient of the Scott Bateman Memorial Scholarship. I know Scott is looking down on her smiling, Vickie is a wonderful loving person and I am grateful for her support of the Chamber.

As we were deciding on criteria for the scholarship we decided to focus on academics as well as leadership within the community. While all the applicants were outstanding, we left like Joshua Baine exemplified true leadership and has a big heart for Fort Payne, much like Scott did. Kelly Bateman Koch, Scott and Vickie's daughter, helped present Joshua with the scholarship along with Ron Poteat, with Regions Bank.

Joshua, best of luck to you and we look forward to seeing what your future holds. We know without a doubt it will be bright!