Jack Ferguson Memorial Scholarship
Jack Ferguson touched the lives of so many in his 21 years. Born in Canada, he grew up in the nation’s capitol, Ottawa. At age 15, he moved with his parents to Northern Virginia, where he graduated from McLean High School in 2015.
Among his many qualities, Jack was an exceptional athlete. He excelled at all sports, but his true passion was basketball. He played for his High School varsity teams in both Canada and the U.S. In addition, he played six years on two different rep/ travel teams in Canada (the Kanata Cavaliers and the Ottawa Next Level), plus three years with the Northern Virginia Cavaliers Basketball. Known for his smooth ball handling, sure-fire jump shot and 3-pointers, Jack was a leader on and off the court and a steady scorer. In his final year of High School, he was recruited by multiple Colleges. Jack eventually chose Salisbury University in Maryland where he played on the Men’s Basketball team. Jack was due to start his senior year at Salisbury and be co-captain of the basketball team when he suddenly became ill. He returned to Canada in early September 2018 where a diagnosis of cancer was confirmed, and treatment began.
An honor student throughout High School, Jack was pursuing a pre-med degree in Exercise Science and Chemistry at Salisbury University. He qualified for the Dean’s list each semester and was a member of the SU Honors College as well as the Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honor Society. He received the All-Academic Honors Award for Men’s Basketball in each of his three years at Salisbury. One of Jack’s highlights from his degree program was an internship at a local cardiac rehab center where he is fondly remembered by staff and patients.
The Jack Ferguson Memorial Scholarship was created by John Falcone, a client at the cardiac rehab center where Jack did his internship. In an interview with the SU News in November 2019, Mr. Falcone remarked that, “[We] all felt a great loss when Jack passed. He was an intern in a world of senior citizens, but I could talk to him like he was a peer. He knew his job well and did it well. I wish we could have met in a different story where he graduated.” In memory of Jack, Mr. Falcone decided to host a fund-raising dinner at his home, with the proceeds going to a scholarship award in Jack’s name for students at SU in the exercise science program. “Jack was a bright young man pursuing a medical career and his life was cut short to a rare cancer that had no known treatment,” Falcone added.
Jack was friendly and calm with a compassionate nature combined with a keen intellect. “Jack was a perfect athlete, a perfect student and a perfect teammate” said Head coach Brian McDermott to SU News after Jack’s passing. In October 2018 following his diagnosis, his teammates at SU hosted a student tournament called “Fight for Ferguson” in part as a fund raiser to help pay medical expenses. Jack made the trip from Canada to attend the event. He passed away on 10 March the following year. At the SU commencement ceremonies in May 2019 at which Jack would have graduated, Salisbury University President Charles Wight honoured Jack by posthumously awarding his degree, Bachelor of Science, Summa Cum Laude, for which he had earned enough credits to achieve.
Jack made friends quickly and embraced new challenges easily and confidently. He earned the respect of his teachers and coaches at every level and became a role model to his peers. Our hearts are broken to have lost our son so early at 21. He was a such a wonderful young man. His celebration of life was held on Saturday March 30, 2019, with over 300 people in attendance from the US and Canada including many past coaches and teammates.