Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 12, 1995                   TAG: 9505120029
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

MEMORY OF GLENVAR TEEN KEPT ALIVE

Bryan William Thomas has not been forgotten at Glenvar High School.

The students have taken to heart the admonition by Cathy Welford to preserve the memory of the 16-year-old who was killed in a traffic accident in South Carolina last year.

Welford, outgoing president of the Student Council Association at the Roanoke County school, urged the students at an awards assembly Thursday never to forget Thomas.

The students also listened to a moving remembrance of Thomas by a close friend who witnessed the accident.

And they applauded loudly when a schoolmate, William "Casey" Mills, was selected as the first recipient of a $1,000 college scholarship in Thomas' memory.

Mills, a captain on Glenvar's football team who had several classes with Thomas, will use the scholarship at Bridgewater College.

Mills, an honor roll student, also participated in track and other extracurricular activities. He has received academic and citizenship awards.

Thomas, a fullback on the Glenvar football team, was killed on his way to Myrtle Beach last June.

Stefanie Thomas, a friend of Bryan's, said the scars from his death will remain forever.

"So many things we never got to talk about, so many things I never got to say," she said. "He meant so much to so many people

His death taught her never to rely on tomorrow, she said.

"No one has promised tomorrow will come," she said. "Cherish your time today, but don't regret it tomorrow. One day, someone important to you may not be here. One day, you may not be here."

Members of the selection committee for the scholarship said it is designed to remember Thomas' life, not his death. They want him to be remembered not as an accident victim, but as a young man with a zest for life.

The second annual Bryan William Thomas Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held July 22 at Countryside Golf Club. Proceeds from the tournament will be added to the scholarship fund.