By Nicole Harris, nharris@qconline.com

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Photo: Gary Krambeck Moline High School senior Karin Scott is a DAR good citizen award winner and the first recipient of the John R."Jack" Cervantes Memorial Scholarship.

A Moline High School senior recently named a "Good Citizen" has another award to her credit.

Karin Scott, who earlier received the Good Citizen award from the Mary Little Deere-Fort Armstrong Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, was awarded the 2009 John R. "Jack" Cervantes Memorial Scholarship on June 1.

Ms. Scott, the daughter of Thomas and Theresa Scott of Moline, plans to attend Northwestern this fall and major in history and economics. She is the first recipient of the annual award that remembers Mr. Cervantes, who died in January.

According to the Mary Little Deere-Fort Armstrong chapter, the award was established by the DAR chapter and Mr. Cervantes' family to fulfill a dream of Mr. Cervantes to repay those who helped him.

Born in Mexico, Mr. Cervantes and his family came to America illegally when he was a young child. The family worked in Texas and Montana before making Moline their home in 1925.

Mr. Cervantes had his sights set on attending college, but that hope was shaken when his father died of pneumonia. Mr. Cervantes was the oldest of seven children, and the death of his father left his family with little means of financial support.

Mr. Cervantes was able to attend college through support from the Mary Little Deere Chapter and others in the community. He attended two years at Augustana before transferring to the University of Illinois, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1938.

When he returned home and there were no teaching jobs available, his DAR mentor encouraged him to return to the University of Illinois to earn his master's degree. The DAR chapter provided financial assistance, so Mr. Cervantes could receive his master's in romance languages in 1939.

Mr. Cervantes joined the military and served in World War II and received naturalized status in 1943. He was an educator for 35 years with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He authored three books: "My Moline, A Young Illegal Immigrant Dreams"; "Home Alive in '45, an Album of Buddies in War and Peace"; and "Cervantes Family History."