Following his death at the age of 43, Chadwick Boseman‘s high school in South Carolina is planning to pay tribute to him in a special way. According to T. L. Hanna High School Principal Walter Mayfield, the school is working to create the Chadwick Boseman Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded to one student each year.
TMZ reports that the school wishes to work with Boseman’s family to create the scholarship and formulate criteria for the award, as they feel it is important they be involved. The award will go to a “deserving student” each year, with hopes that the school will be able to raise $100,000 for the scholarship, which would allow it to continue for many years. Mayfield told the outlet that despite word of the scholarship having mostly been kept hushed, numerous people have reached out with a desire to contribute in Boseman’s honor.
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The school is also looking for honor Boseman, a prolific actor known for numerous high-profile riles, including his groundbreaking role in Marvel’s Black Panther, in other ways. The actor’s former high school basketball coach, Wayne Jones, is encouraging the school to retire the number he used to wear, 32, in his memory. Before showing up on the big screen, Boseman played 4 years on the varsity team at the school. Mayfield told TMZ that despite the school having never retired a number before, he is considering honoring Boseman in this manner.
The tributes mark just the latest to pour out of South Carolina in the wake of Boseman’s passing. The actor died on Friday, Aug. 28 following a four-year-long, undisclosed battle with colon cancer. As T. L. Hanna High School looks for ways to honor Boseman, his hometown of Anderson, South Carolina is doing the same. Mayor Terence Roberts’ office confirmed that the city will hold a remembrance ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 3, at an outdoor amphitheater. The ceremony will feature three guest speakers – a pastor, one of the actor’s former high school classmates, and the Mayor himself – and will be followed by a screening on Black Panther. The city is also looking to erect a more permanent memorial, which TMZ reported would be “a massive enshrinement,” though details of that remain unclear.
Boseman’s death was confirmed Friday, with his team, in a statement, noting that it was “the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.” Along with that role, Boseman also starred in Marshall, Da 5 Bloods, and 42. His final role will be in the upcoming Netflix film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
