Beech Tree News Network

Carlee Mitchell of Morgantown, Ky., was named the first recipient of the James Christopher Holman Scholarship Fund on May 23 at the Morgantown Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented by Donald Smith, President of the College Heights Foundation, at a luncheon hosted by Morgantown Bank and Trust, where Chris was employed at the time of his passing.
The scholarship fund was established by friends and family of Chris Holman to support graduates of Butler County High School attending WKU who are pursuing a degree in business or agriculture.
The Holman family shared the following message: “Chris was a proud Butler Countian, and he was dedicated to education and community. This means so much to our family to see his memory honored in this way. Thank you so much.”
During his time at Butler County High School, Chris Holman held various offices in his local chapter of the Future Farmers of America. Chris attended the University of Kentucky and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics. He earned a Master of Business Administration from WKU in 2006 and attended specialized Ag Lending schools at Clemson University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. In 2016, he began working at Morgantown Bank and Trust as the Senior Agricultural Officer.
The inaugural recipient of the scholarship award, Carlee Mitchell, graduated from Butler County High School in 2018 and is a sophomore at WKU. She is majoring in Agriculture with a concentration in animal science and pre-veterinary advisement.
“We are honored to administer this fund in Chris’ memory,” said Donald Smith. “Through this endowment, students from Butler County pursuing a major Agriculture or Business will be afforded the opportunity to get an education at WKU. These areas of study were passions of Chris, so it is fitting that the scholarship in his name benefit those students in perpetuity.”

For more information, contact Jessica Carver at (270) 745-2342.