The Youngstown State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is honored to announce the creation of the James W. Leetch Memorial Golf Scholarship to enhance the YSU Athletics Scholarship Endowment Fund.
The James W. Leetch Scholarship was endowed by Carolyn Leetch to pay tribute to the eternal memory of her late husband, Jim Leetch. Leetch earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from YSU in 1979. He continued on to earn his MBA from YSU in 1981.
Leetch grew up in nearby Girard and began playing golf at Mahoning Country Club where he made his first hole in one. An avid golfer, he was proud to be a member of YSU’s men’s golf team in the springs of 1976 and 1977.
Following graduate school, he began a 27-year career with Packard Electric later becoming Delphi Automotive Systems, where he took great pride in assisting with the design and development of automobiles.
“Jim recognized the importance of scholastic achievement. He would be proud that his name will live on forever to help future men’s golf team members,” Carolyn Leetch said.
In 2008, he began to exhibit symptoms of Huntington’s disease (HD) which he inherited from his mother. This degenerative neurological disease is often described as having Alzheimer’s, ALS and Parkinson’s diseases simultaneously. He succumbed to HD on September 13, 2016; just three days after being overjoyed as he watched YSU’s football team tie West Virginia at the half.
Paul McFadden, President of the YSU Foundation, said James Leetch was a proud Penguin alumni and his legacy will continue to live on with a scholarship endowment.
“James Leetch was someone who cared greatly about his wife, the work he did for Packard Electric, playing golf and Youngstown State University,” McFadden said. “He was a thoughtful person who enjoyed seeing YSU be successful. It’s an honor to have his name on a scholarship endowment.”
For more information, or to endow an athletic scholarship at Youngstown State University, contact the Dan Kopp at the YSU Foundation at (330) 941-3211 or dkopp@ysufoundation.org
