Recordpub.com - Joe Walsh scholarship awarded Ecuadorian pianist to re

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

David Jaramillo, an Ecuadorian pianist, is the first recipient of a talent-based scholarship funded by Joe Walsh, a former Kent State University student and member of The Eagles rock band.

Jaramillo traveled from Ecuador to Ohio to audition for the performing-arts scholarship and impressed the selection committee with his performance.

Walsh attended KSU from 1965 to 1968. He later dropped out to join his first band, the James Gang. In a statement released by KSU, Walsh said "In terms of a career, I got one ... And that was a direct result of my time at Kent."

"I couldn't have gotten a scholarship based on my academic ability, but I blossomed at Kent," he said. "And I just think there may be some other people at Kent I could help."

John Crawford, associate dean of KSU's College of the Arts and a member of the six-person selection committee, said each of nine applicants in the areas of dance, theatre and music went through one preliminary audition. But for the final audition, the selection committee needed to see each of the prospective recipients.

Jaramillo selected 20th Century Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's Sarcasms Opus 17 No.'s 1, 2 and 3 for his audition and impressed the judges.

"They are very difficult pieces, I heard his audition, it was a very complex piece of music he performed and he did so beautifully," Crawford said.

The scholarship is intended to pay up to $10,000 a year for up to five years for tuition and fees, according to KSU. Walsh was not involved in the selection process, but "allowed us to choose the person based on the performance," Crawford said.

"An exceptional pianist," Jaramillo has accepted the scholarship and should be attending KSU this fall, he said.

The scholarship also is meant for a student with strong performance skills who might not otherwise be able to afford or attend college.

"If they're in a creative community like Kent and Kent State, and I can help them stay there until they blossom, that's what I'm trying to do," Walsh said.

Posted by averagejoe April 30, 2008

Or something like the cure for anti-Americanism or Ultra-left liberalism that just takes and takes and takes from the US taxpayer and US citizens like a cancer attacking our insides, and never gives back.

My bad streetpilot, I misread the article. I am sorry and retract my comments. However my comment was not racially motivated. My comment was motivated by the fact that we have millions of talented children that are American citizens Black, white, red, yellow that bought his albums and made him an American success story, that could have used the money to pull them from poverty or to give them and their American families a better life. It was also motivated by the fact that Americans and sometimes their families are going into lifelong debt to get a higher education and paying huge tuition payments to help create programs that subsidize the education of students that have traveled here from different countries and most often don't contribute a penny to our tax base and get food stamps and other social services while they are here. While our own citizens can't go to college if they can't afford to pay for it.

It's just like people that will spend thousands of dollars to adopt children from other countries and we have children right here in America that go to bed hungry, not for food but for the love of a family.

When will we put America and Americans first. Not taking care of Americans and putting us and our people first is one of the major reasons our country is in the fix it is in now. We have to stop taking care of and putting the world first. If we didnt take care of the world we could wipe out poverty in America.

I'm sure he was probably good. I congratulate him. I hope he has fun here at KSU. My apologies.

Posted by billshane342 April 30, 2008

Well it is nice Joe has created a scholarship.
Very cool
But it really SUCKS that the first winner has to be a Frickin Foreign student.
He sounds very talented and probably is deserving, but...
I am sure there are plenty of American kids who can play the hell out of an instrument who need the cash too.

Another case of giving away American Assets to NON Americans.

Hey Joe..How I remember the James Gang and how the Kent/Cleveland bar scene embraced your group. Bet you would have been ****** if they passed you over for a Latin rumba band.

Oh well, liberal KSU professor weinies strike again.

Howdy Faf man.