On Wednesday, the Associated Businesses of Bridgeport presented 2020 Bridgeport High School graduate Alden Smith with the ABB/Melinda Lindsey Award in the amount of $1,250. 

 

A leader in the community and past secretary/treasurer of the ABB, Lindsey passed away in March of 2019. The following month, the scholarship award was established with Michaela Perri and Madelyn Lalama the first recipients. As were those students, Smith is a member of the Bridgeport High School DECA club, which works closely with the ABB.

 

She was the ideal choice for the scholarship award, said Megan Lindsey, daughter-in-law of the late Melinda Lindsey and member of the ABB Board of Directors.

 

“The Lindsey family was honored to present the award to Ms. Smith. She is a lovely young woman and there is no doubt Melinda would have supported the ABB’s decision to select her as the recipient,” she said.

 

The daughter of Marylou Smith of Bridgeport and Brian Smith of Canonsburg, Pa., Alden has been very active in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities at BHS, while maintaining a high GPA through Honors and AP-level courses. She is an inducted member of both National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society and holds leadership positions in Key Club as coordinator of both the Bridgeport Homecoming Parade and Zul’s Frozen Lemonade sales, Spanish Club as publicist, Life League and most significantly, DECA in which she has served as the second student from Bridgeport High School to serve on the state officer team and as the first student in Bridgeport history to hold the position of West Virginia State DECA Chartered Association President. Alden is also a member of the Drug-Free Club, Quiz Bowl and the BHS Orchestra, playing first-chair bass.

 

She plans to obtain her undergraduate degree in economics with a minor in international business and subsequently earn her MBA with a major in multinational management.

 

A steak fry had been scheduled for March of 2020 to raise funds for the scholarship. Due to the current health pandemic, that event was cancelled.

 

“We are extremely disappointed that we were unable to hold the steak fry this year, but are so blessed by the cash donations received from Rominger Dental, Ford Funeral Homes and Marquette Insurance. Our hope is the dust settles with the pandemic and we are able to hold the dinner next year in Melinda’s honor and memory.”

 

Pictured (top) are (front, left to right) Megan Lindsey, Chuck Lindsey (husband of the late Melinda Lindsey), Alden Smith and ABB President Doug Marquette; (back) ABB board members Brad Ford, Jaclyn Rominger, Mark Bonamico and Hillary Blankenship.

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Alden is also pictured with her mother, Marylou Smith.