Enterprising Anson High School Student Wins First-ever "Don't Mess with Texas" Scholarship
- 05.14.04
Marcus McWilliams wins $1,000 for restoring Anson North Lake
(AUSTIN)—Young Texans are the state's worst litterers, but thanks to Anson High School senior Marcus McWilliams, the number of offenders in the Anson area may be on the decline.
On May 20, McWilliams was named one of three recipients of the first-ever Don't Mess with Texas scholarship for not only ridding Anson North Lake of litter, but organizing a complete transformation of a lake.
During the summer of 2002, McWilliams rallied a group of students to spend 20–25 hours a week retrieving truckloads of hazardous materials from the lake bottom and clearing brush from the dam/spillway. In summer 2003, the students built 25 picnic tables and installed rest rooms, showers and a kitchen. After two summers of backbreaking work, what was once an
un-fishable, un-swimmable body of water became a prime recreation area for fishing tournaments and barbeques.
The Don't Mess with Texas Scholarship, sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation and funded by a donation from Dairy Queen, was created to recognize the achievements of Texas high school seniors who have taken actions to prevent litter in their schools or communities. Macey Bielski of Waller won the first prize of a $3,000 scholarship, and both McWilliams and Alicia Taylor of Arlington each received $1,000 scholarships.
"Marcus' litter prevention activities are truly remarkable, and especially inspiring given that Texans ages 16 to 24 are the most frequent litterers," said Darah Waldrip, program manager for the Don?t Mess with Texas campaign. "Our panel of judges was impressed that he worked so tirelessly in the hot Texas sun to give Anson residents such a gift."
McWilliams will use the money to study finance at Texas Tech University.
The scholarship is TxDOT's latest effort to generate more youth involvement in the Don't Mess with Texas campaign. This year also marked the first-ever Don't Mess with Texas Campus Cleanup on 17 college and university campuses in March 2004. The second annual Don't Mess with Texas Road Tour kicked off in April 2004 and is taking a truck full of games and prizes to 25 Texas cities this summer.
TxDOT's Don't Mess with Texas litter prevention campaign has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. For more information, visit www.dontmesswithtexas.org
