Fremd Alumni Start Scholarship Fund To Honor Bullied Classmate
(CBS) -- The alumni from Palatine's Fremd High School, Class of '75, have started a scholarship fund to honor a classmate who was bullied 40 years ago.
It is guilt that is now 40 years old that triggered the Fremd Class of 1975 to take action to do something in memory of John Trout.
Pamela Olander was a classmate at Fremd. A school she says was great and is great. But she gets emotional when she talks about the way some classmates treated Johnny Trout.
"I remember him cowering by the lockers," she said. "They would throw spitballs at him."
She says he was among the smartest but had very few social skills.
Several months ago, as the class was organizing the 40th reunion, a member of that class urged classmates to remember Johnny Trout, who died a few years ago.
And the John Trout Anti-Bullying Scholarship was started.
They fundraised more than $60,000, including $50,000 left to the fund by John Trout's mother who died earlier this month. For more information on the John Trout Anti-bullying Scholarship Fund, visit their Facebook page.