The Kiwanis Club of Aurora, Illinois created a fund in 1992 to memorialize a former club member, William J. Downs.
Mr. Downs was the great grandson of Samuel McCarty, founder of the City of Aurora.
He attended East Aurora High School and later attended Worsham’s College of Mortuary Science, becoming the third generation of his family to operate the Downs Funeral Home on Fox Street (now east Downer Place) in Aurora.
Mr. Downs, a Marine veteran of WWII, was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. He died in combat on December 6, 1950.
Scholarships from the fund are available to students attending a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
These awards are reserved for graduates of a public or parochial high school whose parent or guardian reside within one of the following cities: Aurora, Big Rock, Montgomery, North Aurora, Oswego or Sugar Grove.
Preference is given to those students who have been or are members of the Kiwanis Builders or Key Clubs.
