February 18, 2009

News Release
 

Joe Maland Memorial Scholarship Recipients Honored

Since 2006, outstanding Robert E. Lee High School students involved with the swim team have received scholarships in memory of Joseph Maland, former Lee swimming athlete (pictured left).  A special plaque dedication ceremony to recognize recipients of the Joe Maland Memorial Scholarship will take place on Thursday, February 19, at 9:15 a.m. at the Tyler ISD Aquatic Center, located at 5201 Copeland Road, Tyler.

“A permanent recognition of their achievement will be placed at the Tyler ISD Aquatics Center as a tribute to their accomplishments as well as the life of Joe Maland,” said Larry Goddard, Executive Director of the Tyler ISD Foundation. “We admire and appreciate the generosity of the family members and friends of Joe Maland who created this scholarship.”

Joe Maland attended Andy Woods Elementary, Hubbard Middle School, and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 2001.  He then graduated from the University of Texas in 2005 with a degree in government and was accepted into the Southwest School of Law in Houston.  He died August 17, 2005, from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a leading cause of death in young athletes.

Friends and family created the Joe Maland Memorial Scholarship through the Tyler ISD Foundation and awards for graduating seniors have been awarded since 2006.  This year, two awards will be made to Robert E. Lee graduates:  Rachel Oliver and Matt Hurst.  Both will be honored at the Night of Shining Stars, the academic recognition event for both high schools sponsored by the Tyler ISD Foundation on April 30^th at the Rose Garden Center.

Mary Ann Girard, mother of Joe Maland, will be on hand to make remarks and present the awards. 

The plaque dedication at the Aquatics Center is a prelude to the event and will focus on the life of Joe Maland.  Joe was born April 2, 1983 in Minneapolis.  The Maland family lived in Stone Mountain, Georgia from 1987 to 1992 at which time they moved to Tyler.  Joe was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.

According to his mother, “Joe became a swimmer in a roundabout way.  From infanthood, Joe feared water so much that he screamed whenever we took him near water.”

The family vacationed at Lake Michigan every summer and Joe's mother insisted he take swim lessons at the age of 3.  He was a reluctant swimmer until age 7 when he asked to join the Stone Mountain swim team - not because he liked to swim, but because he liked to be around other children.

That year he finally learned to swim and even liked it.  From then on, he was a member of a swim team, joining the Tyler Swim Team after moving to Tyler.  Joe made the varsity swim team his freshman year and swam for Robert E. Lee for four years; he served as Team Captain along with Kristen Bay his senior year.  Joe truly enjoyed the camaraderie of the swim team.  In college, Joe was a member of the UT sailing team, played intramural water polo, and enjoyed rock climbing. Joe spent the summer of 2005 backpacking through Europe.

His father, Dave Maland says, “Joe was a young man of faith, an ardent optimist, lover of life and vigorous athlete.  He never met a stranger, and endeared himself to many by being unusually mindful of the needs of others.  He was involved in competitive swimming from ages 5 to 18 in both Atlanta, Georgia and Tyler.”

Joe’s athletic interests included rock climbing, scuba diving, competitive sailing with the UT Sailing Team and, of course, swimming.  As a teenager, he went on mission trips to Florida, Missouri and Colorado with Tyler's Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, and he attended the Gateway Church in Austin while a UT undergraduate.  His academic achievements included placing 2nd at the 2005 undergraduate moot court competition for Texas colleges and universities, and graduating magna cum laude from the UT Austin School of Government in May, 2005.  He was a first year law student in Houston at the time of his death in August, 2005.

"The scholarships are meant to encourage deserving Robert E. Lee swimmers to pursue lifelong goals of intellectual and athletic excellence,” said Mr. Maland. 

“They annually reward student athletes who often don't receive the accolades they deserve.  Robert E. Lee swimmers spend hours in the pool each day during the swim season practicing their craft, and they have achieved numerous high honors over the years in district, regional and state competitions.  Tyler's swim coaches, including Theron Pickle, Matt Franks and Janet Taylor of the Tyler Swim Team, have been of the highest caliber.  Competitive swimming helped mold Joe into the fine young man he became.  From swimming he learned discipline, team play, leadership and the value of improving one's physical skills."

Additional donations may be made to the Joe Maland Scholarship Fund by sending your contribution to:  Larry Goddard, Executive Director, Tyler ISD Foundation, 315 North Broadway, Suite 401, Tyler, Texas 75702 or by contacting the foundation@suddenlinkmail.com.

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