LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Lexington Counter Clocks announced a new scholarship Thursday in honor of a local teen who died from gun violence. In doing so, the organization will be covering up a mural on the side of Wild Health Field.
15-year-old Trinity Gay was a Lafayette High School student and track star who was killed by gunfire near the Lexington Cookout in 2016.
The Counter Clocks say the annual Trinity Gay Scholarship will be awarded to one Fayette County Public Schools high school student in their senior year. The scholarship will be $1,500 and awarded to a student with a 3.0 GPA or higher who is involved in at least one extracurricular activity and demonstrates involvement in the community. The applicant will also have to submit an essay on the impact of gun violence.
“Trinity’s bright life was tragically cut short by gun violence, and the pain her family has suffered is something no family should ever have to face,” said Lexington Counter Clocks Owner Nathan Lyons.
The winning student will also be invited to throw out the first pitch at a Counter Clocks game.
There will also be a plaque installed inside the ballpark that will honor Trinity's track and field success as well as the names of scholarship recipients.
The Counter Clocks say that "the scholarship program will replace a mural that had been painted on the exterior of the Lexington Counter Clocks’ stadium in 2016 in memory of Trinity."
LEX 18 requested comment on the covering up of the mural.
"Well, it's not a decision to paint over it was more so as it is, as we're in the middle of a really big project. It's gonna have some beautification for the entire community. And as with the stadium, unfortunately, the mural had fallen to some disrepair," said VP of Sales and Marketing Michael Allison.
Allison says they reached out to the Gay family to discuss how to properly continue Trinity's legacy.
"As a fan of the arts, hate to see it go but, you know, there were some things in the stadium that needed to be improved and this happened to get vandalized a couple of times. And — we needed to come up with a better way to continue her legacy," said Allison.
The Counter Clocks say that Trinity’s parents, Shoshana Boyd and Olympic medalist Tyson Gay, have offered their support of the Trinity Gay Scholarship Program.
