Veronica Beasley-Robinson

Veronica Beasley-Robinson's love for her brother led her to setting up a scholarship in his memory.

As a child growing up in Detroit, Mich., drove Sergeant Melvin Beasley, Jr., loved sports, especially basketball and baseball, and excelled at both while attending the former Thomas M. Cooley Senior High School. After graduating in 2000, Sgt. Beasley enrolled at Wayne County Community College to complete preliminary coursework.

By the fall of 2003, Beasley made a vital and very significant step in his life, and enlisted himself in the U.S. Army, and transferred his course credits to EMU. He continued to serve his country and attended class regularly, where he was on track to complete his Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems.

Even while in the Army Reserves, Beasley’s love for basketball continued, trying out and ultimately selected to play on the All-Army International Basketball Team as a point guard. This opportunity afforded him the chance to travel the world extensively even while he was completing his education at Eastern Michigan.

For Beasley-Robinson, setting up this scholarship in memory of her beloved brother was an easy decision. He passed away while serving his country on Oct. 28, 2005.

“My brother was a special young man,” says Beasley-Robinson. “He was the only boy of six siblings and was the best brother. He was wise beyond his years and we had a very special relationship, and we were very close.”

Veronica and her husband, Ronald Robinson, established a scholarship using a portion of the monetary gifts they received from their Aug. 17 wedding. The Sgt. Melvin Larone Beasley Jr. Memorial Scholarship is housed in the Department of Athletics. The scholarship will be awarded to a member of the Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team to assist in summer aid.

Qualified athletes must be a current member of the EMU men’s basketball team, and completed their sophomore year in college with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and above. Interested athletes must also complete a 200-word essay answering the question, “What does being a student-athlete at Eastern Michigan University mean to me?”