Those of us fortunate enough to remain close to Amanda after high school know what a rich, full life she lived until she passed away in 1993. She attended the University of Alabama, where she was a member of the Honors Program and majored in Corporate Finance/Investment Management with a minor in Mathematical Statistics. She devoted her extracurricular time to some of the University's most prestigious activities and organizations, including the Capstone Men & Women, Freshman Forum, the XXXI Women's Honorary, Mortar Board, and Delta Delta Delta social sorority. In her final year of college, she was chosen Most Outstanding Senior of the University of Alabama by the National Alumni Association.
After graduating summa cum laude in 1992, she married and took a job in the commercial loan department of AmSouth Bank in Birmingham. She passed away in an automobile accident in October 1993.
Amanda's beautiful legacy continues to influence lives well beyond those of her friends and family, and her memory still serves as an example of all that is true, honest, and good. Each year, several awards in her name are given on Honors Day at the University of Alabama: the Amanda Taylor Watson Disinguished Image Award, presented by the Capstone Men & Women to someone who has contributed outstanding service to the University; the Amanda Taylor Watson Quantitative Finance Award, presented to the outstanding Quantitative Finance student in the School of Business; the Amanda Taylor Watson XXXI Endowed Scholarship, awarded to an outstanding student who has demonstrated leadership qualities inside and outside the classroom; and a Delta Delta Delta award in her name, given to a member of the chapter who is, like Amanda, a friend to everyone. Here at home, First United Methodist Church presents the Amanda Taylor Watson Graduate Award to deserving graduate students every April around the time of her birthday. In the coming year alone, eight members of First Methodist will be pursuing their graduate studies with the inspiration and financial assistance of Amanda's scholarship.
Through these awards, many people who never knew Amanda personally have come to know her and the qualities she embodied: grace, purity, achievement, friendship, and service to others. As her friends, we miss her dearly but we're grateful for all the ways she touched our lives while she was with us.