Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History
Sauer, Anne
Branco, Jessica
Bennett, John
Crowley, Zachary
2000
Michael E. Avtges Memorial Prize, 1989
The Michael E. Avtges Memorial Prize is an academic scholarship prize in the College of Engineering. It was established in 1989 by Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas E. Avtges and the Boston Chapter, Society of American Military Engineers in memory of Michael E. Avtges, a student in the College of Engineering. Prizes are awarded to deserving students in the Department of Civil Engineering with preference to those who are interested in computer science and engineering. | |
Michael E. Avtges entered Tufts in 1980 from nearby Watertown High School. He enrolled in the College of Engineering as a civil engineering major, played on the Tufts football team, and became a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Michael was diagnosed with a serious illness in the summer of 1981. After a long battle with cancer that included a bone marrow transplant, other health complications, and loss of vision, he died in May 1988. | |
During his illness, Michael continued to pursue his studies at Tufts and changed his major from Civil Engineering to Computer Science. He became proficient in computer programming with the aid of a voice synthesizer. Because of his great courage and determination during his final years, Michael received the Ellen C. Myers Memorial Prize for achieving high scholarship standards in the face of adverse circumstances. | |
Source: 100H, BTU[Arts and Sciences/Engineering] | |
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