Nurah Williams – above right with Berry Trustee Roger Lusby (79C) and fellow student Ary Flowers – knew she was bound for adventure when she left her home in Takoma Park, Maryland, to begin college in a state she had studied but never visited. What she didn’t expect was that her choice of Berry would result in a whirlwind trip to Pittsburgh just a few weeks into her freshman year.
Once in Pennsylvania, Williams found herself in the midst of a huge 50th anniversary celebration commemorating Roberto Clemente’s induction into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. She was on hand as the first recipient of Berry’s Roberto Clemente Scholarship, established by Lusby and his wife, Candy Caudill Lusby (82c), in coordination with the Clemente Foundation to honor the legacy of the baseball legend killed in a 1972 plane crash while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
“That was definitely a unique experience,” Williams said of the trip, highlighted by a banquet attended by current and former major-leaguers and an on-field ceremony at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park. “I didn’t understand how big it was until I got there.”
While not an avid baseball fan, Williams cherishes memories of attending Baltimore Orioles’ games with her late father. Fittingly, his favorite team – the New York Yankees – occupied the visiting dugout for the game in Pittsburgh.
“The Yankees won again,” Williams said with amusement, harkening back to games with her dad.
Scholarship giving is nothing new to the Lusbys, nor is tying their generosity to a personal interest or passion – in this case baseball.
The oldest of three brothers, Roger grew up idolizing the likes of Clemente and Hank Aaron. Now he and Candy have established need-based scholarships at Berry honoring both men in partnership with foundations dedicated to further enhancing the two Hall-of-Famers’ already considerable legacies.
Aaron came first for the couple, in 2020. Their leadership motivated others, spurring creation of additional Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation 4 for 4 Scholarships at Berry. Roger hopes to see the same thing happen with Clemente.
Inspiration for such gifts can be found in Williams’ experience, for without the Clemente Scholarship, Berry might have been out of reach. The gratitude she feels is shared by Flowers, the couple’s current Aaron recipient. Both are proud to have their names associated with individuals known as much for their character and integrity as their on-field accomplishments.
“I already hold myself to a standard,” explained Williams, a psychology major who dreams of a career working with children. “But now I have an even higher bar because I know that I’m attached to someone who gave a lot of himself to others and made a big impact on his community here in America but also back where he came from in Puerto Rico. That means a lot.”
Flowers, a political science major who also hails from Maryland, added, “To be connected to Hank Aaron in this way and to be a part of his legacy evokes a sense of pride, honor and responsibility, especially since I want to uphold the values and ideals that he stood for in his life. His legacy and accomplishments aren’t just on the baseball field but also in his personal life with his resilience in the face of adversity, his commitment to excellence, and his advocacy for equality and justice.”
