Scholarship to honor Baird teen legacy a year after tragic crash

BAIRD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – It has been more than a year since the lives of three Baird teens were lost in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Now, the memory of one of the teens, Ryan Bilby, will live on with a new scholarship in his honor.

Courtesy of Ashley Rudder

Homecoming, prom and graduation are all things Bilby was supposed to experience this year. His legacy is going to live on with a memorial scholarship. Bilby’s mom, Ashley Rudder, says the start of the scholarship is extra special because it gets to benefit the people who once shared halls with Bilby.

“Ryan was very active. He had a lot of friends and a lot of people loved him in bisd. So it’s it means a lot that it’s starting this year, starting with his class. We get to pick somebody that was really close to him,” Rudder said. “[At Baird football games] I’m watching the sunset as everybody else is watching their kids on the ground, and we get a beautiful shot, Ryan always blesses us with something beautiful, and I know that he’s with God.”

Courtesy of Ashley Rudder

Bobby Lovell and Bill Hall with the Timothy Project are sponsoring the scholarship. They mentor young men who are growing up in a single-parent household, teaching them life lessons through various trips and meetups. It was a place that helped Bilby grow and allowed him to pass on the mentorship to younger kids, Lovell said.

“Ryan was one of our first voices in the Timothy Project. With his passing, it’s been on my mind for quite some time that we needed to do something,” Lovell said. “We want to be a significant little scholarship, especially this year, but we want to carry it on annually and make it a good scholarship.”

Courtesy of Ashley Rudder

From senior pictures that Ryan never got to take to new initiatives that keep his memory alive, his mom told KTAB/KRBC she finds comfort in the impact he has left behind.

“To be 16 years old and leave such an impact and have something to say about him because Ryan was that kid,” Rudder said.

A benefit to raise money for the scholarship fund will be Saturday, October 4th, from 7:30 p.m. to midnight. If you can help with the event or want more information, reach out to the Timothy Project.