Scholarship Established in Memory of Marine Matthew D. Lynch

To honor the memory of Matt Lynch, a recent Duke graduate who died in Iraq, friends and family members hope to raise at least $100,000 for the newly established 1st Lt. Matthew D. Lynch Memorial Scholarship Fund at Duke University.

Lynch, of Jericho, N.Y., died Oct. 31, 2004, after he was hit by an explosive device outside the town of Ramadi in Iraq.  He was on his third tour of duty in the country, having volunteered to return with the Pendleton’s 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment.

Lynch enrolled in the U.S. Marines Corps’ Officer Candidate School immediately after graduating from Duke in 2001. His father and brother had both served in the Marine Corps before him.

Lynch studied history at Duke and was a member of the swimming and baseball teams. He also belonged to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

The scholarship fund established in Lynch’s memory will support undergraduates at Duke, with first preference to non-freshmen who are members of the swimming team and, if possible, from New York. If no students meet those criteria, preference will be given to members of other non-revenue sports teams or students from New York. 

The endowed scholarship is part of the Duke’s recently announced Financial Aid Initiative, which seeks $300 million in endowment to support university students.

Information about contributing to the 1st Lt. Matthew D. Lynch Memorial Scholarship Fund is at http://www.mattlynch.org.

Further info: William Conescu | (919) 681-0434 | wconescu@duke.edu

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