“The Curtis Kerr Award was created to honor legacy of those who support others.”

Curtis Kerr was loyal. He was devoted to his school work. He had outstanding character and work ethic. Although he lost his life at a young age, his memory is not lost to the Elsberry community where he served as manager for head coach Shane Matzen and the Indian basketball program.

Matzen and the MBCA established the Curtis Kerr Memorial Student Assistant of the Year Award.

Curtis’ parents, Curtis and Marsleen Kerr gave Matzen permission to create the award in their son’s name. They described their Curtis as a hard working student who took great pride in everything he did.

“It’s wonderful—it’s overwhelming really,” Marsleen said wiping tears from her eyes. “It’s a great honor for our son.” “He would feel very proud to have people still care about him after he’s been gone for seven years,” Curtis Kerr said.

“The neat thing about this situation is keeping Curtis’ memory alive will pave the way for a lot of worthy young people to be honored in a way that wasn’t always there for them through this award,” Matzen said. “I want those kids who so often do the dirty work of high school basketball programs to be recognized for their efforts. It’s a hole that’s needed to be filled for a long time.”