Honoring the Legacy of
Haywood R. Thornton III
“For God’s sake, if you have been drinking, don’t drive. You’re going to kill yourself or someone else. In either event, it’s horrible. And it’s so easy to prevent.”
-HR Thornton Jr., Haywood’s Father
The Haywood R Thornton III Memorial Foundation was created to honor the memory of
Haywood R Thornton III, a 1981 honors graduate of St. Cloud High School.
Haywood’s major interests were band, chorus, history and science and he was
voted most likely to succeed by his high school classmates.
While driving home from Auburn University, where he was studying civil engineering, Haywood was tragically killed in an automobile accident. Haywood’s death could have been avoided. He was killed by a drunk driver who thoughtlessly got behind the wheel of her car. Driving while intoxicated, she passed out and drove directly into the path of Haywood’s car. After eight weeks in a coma, Haywood went to be with our Lord.
If the memory of the way he died can prevent just one person from drinking and driving, then Haywood will not have died in vain. PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE AND PREVENT YOUR FRIENDS FROM DOING THE SAME.
The Haywood R Thornton III Scholarship was created to assist young people in realizing their full potential. Every year, we honor Haywood's memory by awarding scholarships to deserving high school graduates in St. Cloud and the Central Florida area. We reward students who demonstrate exceptional qualities and seek to achieve at a high level. We want to give like-minded students access to an incredible future that was stolen from Haywood at such a young age. We strive to offer young students the opportunity and the tools to succeed.
If you are one of those like-minded students, please click on the link below and complete our application. All students who receive a Haywood R Thornton Memorial Scholarship are asked to give a pledge that they will NEVER drink and drive.