11-02-2025
Kuss memorial scholarship honors fallen pilot
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nearly nine years after U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Capt. Jeff Kuss lost his life while training for the Great Tennessee Airshow in Smyrna, his legacy continues to live on.
At the time of the accident in June 2016, he was flying as Blue Angel Number Six.
His tragic loss impacted many across the nation, but especially in Rutherford County where the horrific accident took place. Even though Capt. Kuss was from Colorado, those from Smyrna and the surrounding area have continued honoring him in a number of ways.
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There's a memorial site in with a retired Blue Angels aircraft on it at Lee Victory Park, an annual Top Gun Night Run 6K and for the second time, a scholarship on his behalf. The Captain Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial Scholarship is worth a total of $6,000. It is split evenly and awarded to three high school seniors who are residents of Smyrna or attend a high school in the town and are going on to post-secondary education.
Smyrna Mayor Mary Esther Reed told News it's the perfect way to make Capt. Kuss's love of learning live on.
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'Education was one thing that Jeff's mom and dad and family talked so much about,' Reed said. 'When he went out to schools to talk to students it was about education, how important it was. We knew we wanted to do something in regards to a scholarship.'
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