About The Willy Fund :: Decision Criteria :: About Willy O'Brien

Willy graduated from Morgantown High School in 1992 and went on to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder. He was nearing graduation when he died in an accident in the mountains in 1996. Though gone for over 10 years, he is fondly remembered and his spirit guides many people close to him that still love him dearly.

Willy was a bit wild. He was the first one to develop a goofy idea and he had the charisma to get others to join him. He was athletic but didn’t follow the crowd. He was adventurous and daring and excelled in snowboarding, rock climbing, hang gliding (he once soared over the continental divide), and crew. The rare times when he was angry it was generally due to a perceived injustice – and he was ferocious.

Willy was reliable, trustworthy, and because of this and his gregariousness and humor he had many friends. Though comic and silly (sometimes answering the phone “Purple” instead of his standard “Hyello”), he was also thoughtful and intelligent and had a quiet, serious side. He was mathematically and scientifically inclined and worked his way through school in part by serving as an assistant in a genetics laboratory on campus.

Willy had big dreams and when he died one of the greatest travesties was the knowledge that these would not be fulfilled.

It is in his spirit that his friends and family have sponsored this scholarship fund.