ASLA Utah Memorial Fund Scholarship

History

The Utah ASLA Memorial Fund was first created in the 1970’s with a donation by the family of Utah landscape architect Happ Young, in his memory.  The fund, established before the Utah Chapter of ASLA was split from the Rocky Mountain Chapter in the early 1970’s, was intended to grow and eventually provide scholarships for students, although much of it was in fact given to the ASLA Building Fund for the purchase of the national ASLA headquarters in Washington, DC.

The fund was replenished in the 1980’s by a donation from Utah ASLA and Karsten Hansen, sometimes known as “The Father of Landscape Architecture in Utah.” After his death, the suggestion was made to name the fund after him, but in the end it was simply called the Memorial Fund, to honor the memory not just of Happ Young and Karsten Hansen, but of all the members of the Utah Chapter of ASLA who have passed away. The purpose of the fund was defined as providing visibility for the profession and benefits to the general community in Utah. The scholarship was established in 2012 for students in the LAEP Department at USU, with the first award granted in 2013. Over the years, money from the fund was used for various projects, including a contribution for the national ASLA headquarters in Washington, DC. In 2012, the ASLA Executive Committee met with those who remembered the original donations and clarified that the fund is meant to be perpetual, not used up for one project, and it was decided that the most meaningful way to accomplish its purpose would be to establish an annual scholarship at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

An eligible student must be a junior or a 1st or 2nd-year graduate student and must be a student member of both the national ASLA organization and the LAEP Student Chapter of ASLA.  Recipients are selected on the The winner is selected on the basis of academic performance and demonstrated potential to increase the visibility of the profession and benefit the community at large.  Each year, LAEP faculty select three finalists from among the eligible students and submit their names and bios for a final vote by the Memorial Fund Committee, which consists of the Memorial Fund Chair, the Utah ASLA Chapter President, Chapter Treasurer, and one other member of the Utah ASLA Executive Committee.