Tuesday, June 04, 2013

The City Of Perugia And Perugia University Award The First-Ever Meredith Kercher Scholarship

Posted by Our Main Posters



[Image above: Stephanie Kercher and Olivia Taylor with, center, the interpreter]


This post carried the announcement of the fellowship kindly created to honor the memory of Meredith.

Now the award today of the fellowship is widely reported in Italy where Meredith is still widely regarded as one of their onw with her fluent Italian, caring persona, and Mediterranean good looks.

This report is from the Gazzetta del Sud.

Perugia, June 4 - A British student on Tuesday received the first scholarship honouring Meredith Kercher from a fund set up in her name by the Umbrian city of Perugia and the university she was studying at when she was murdered in 2007.

“Meredith’s murder is a wound that will never be healed in the hearts of Perugians where Mez will always be, along with a sense of impotence at not having been able to defend her,” Mayor Wladimiro Boccali said.

Meredith’s elder sister Stephanie was on hand to see the honour go to London student Olivia Taylor at a ceremony with the mayor and the head of Perugia’s famous University for Foreigners.

“It’s the first time I’ve been here for a happy event,” Stephanie Kercher said [she speaks good Italian.] “Now I want to study to remember Meredith,” said Taylor, whose grant will help her learn Italian at the university attended by thousands of foreign students.

This, one of the many reports in Italian, is from Umbria 24.

“Without truth there can be no forgiveness, it is difficult to even talk about forgiveness when there is no truth” an excited Stephanie Kercher said, in Perugia this morning in the City during the delivery of the scholarship in honor of her sister Meredith, who was killed in Perugia in 2007.

She was speaking of the legal proceedings of Amanda and Raffaele. “It’s the first time I have come to Perugia for a happy event” said Stephanie, accompanied by the lawyers Francesco Maresca and Serena Perna. “I’m happy for Olivia, who will be here in Perugia, and I’m glad for a moment of happy memories of Meredith. “

The scholarship in memory of Meredith Kercher went to a London girl named Olivia Taylor, who had already arrived in Perugia to follow a two-month course of Italian at the University for Foreigners of Perugia at which Meredith Kercher studied. At the ceremony for the delivery of the award was the mayor of Perugia, Wladimiro Boccali, the rector of the University for Foreigners, Giovanni Paciullo, and the university president, Maurizio Oliviero. The award is for a two-month course in Italian contributed by the University for Foreigners, plus the outward journey and return to London which are paid for by the town, and accommodation in a university residence.

“Mez is forever in our hearts” the mayor said during the ceremony. “The murder of Meredith has left a wound that will never heal. Meredith will always be in the hearts of Perugians who have a sense of her powerlessness against her attackers and of her not being able to defend herself. I also want to thank the Kercher family for the dignity shown during all this tragedy and the kind words they have for our city”...

“I do not know exactly what to expect from the new legal process” said Stephanie. “We are still waiting for answers to questions that have not had any.” As for the book of Amanda Knox, when asked if she had read it, Stephanie Kercher said: “No, I have not read the book of Amanda Knox, and I do not read these books.”

The young Olivia Taylor hopes that this scholarship in honor of Meredith is “a matter of comfort for her family”.

Thank you, Olivia Taylor, for competing for and accepting the scholarship. If yoiu follow in the footsteps of Meredith you will go far, and the world will see a real difference.

There’s a note below the video on the context.



The images below are from the court sessions in October 2008 when Guede was sentenced and AK and RS sent to trial. This was the first time since Meredith’s funeral in Croydon that the family appeared in public, and the second time in Perugia.

Harrassment of the family by the Knox-Mellas PR shills and demonization of the prosecution and police were heading for a crescendo, putting great pressure on Meredith’s family. You can see some tension in their faces although as usual their stoicism was pretty amazing.

Curt Knox and Edda Mellas were in Perugia for those hearings, but they lurked uphill of the courthouse during the court sessions so that, as they admitted, they did not have to look Meredith’s family in the eyes.

TJMK came online a month or two before those hearings, essentially to help represent Meredith and her family in face of the horrific PR effort to disappear them and to bend by illegal means the trial or first appeal outcome.

This is the first time ever for a member of Meredith’s family to be in Perugia without a Knox, Mellas or Sollecito present and seeking the limelight.











Posted by Our Main Posters on 06/04/13 at 03:10 PM in

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Comments

Wonderful!

Posted by Urbanist on 06/04/13 at 05:38 PM | #

Beautiful!

Lovely words from the mayor of Perugia.

RIP Meredith

Posted by Miriam on 06/04/13 at 07:28 PM | #

Am full of admiration for Stephanie, and the family, for their continued dignity.

Posted by SeekingUnderstanding on 06/04/13 at 07:44 PM | #

The Mayors comments encapsulated this very well Anything to keep the memory of Meredith alive. Closer for this wonderful family will only come about when these two murderers are finally convicted and in jail where they belong, hopefully for the vast majority of their miserable lives.

Posted by Grahame Rhodes on 06/04/13 at 11:12 PM | #

Chilling words from Stephanie.  I’m sure it was not lost on the listening public that the issue is far from over:

Without truth there can be no forgiveness, it is difficult to even talk about forgiveness when there is no truth

Posted by James Higham on 06/04/13 at 11:24 PM | #

Meredith’s scholarship helps lovely Olivia Taylor. Stephanie was so gracious to tell Olivia to have fun in Perugia and make sure to attend the chocolate festival! Sweet Stephanie, and the words of Maresca firm and true that Meredith is outside the court system on this much happier occasion. Meredith’s influence is one of giving and honoring. A day for smiles. Olivia seems so grateful and composed. She will reflect Meredith’s innate good qualities of wisdom and dignity.

Posted by Hopeful on 06/04/13 at 11:51 PM | #

Congratulations to Olivia Taylor awarded the Meredith Kercher Scholarship.

The memory of Meredith Kercher lives on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llyADThAg5o

Posted by True North on 06/05/13 at 03:51 AM | #

A very happy occasion!

Wish you all the best Olivia!

Posted by chami on 06/05/13 at 07:38 AM | #

Stephanie is an absolute inspiration and role model for us all in coping with profound loss.

I hope and believe she and her family will finally get the truth and justice they deserve.

Posted by Odysseus on 06/05/13 at 01:04 PM | #

Parents both look depressed.

Posted by Domingo on 06/05/13 at 06:32 PM | #

@Domingo

I think those images are from 2008.

Posted by Odysseus on 06/05/13 at 07:48 PM | #

Hi Miriam

Do you have or can you provide an English translation of the Mayor’s words?

Posted by Odysseus on 06/05/13 at 08:36 PM | #

Planting seeds! What a joyous occasion! It is so nice to see Meredith’s name associated with the characteristics she embodied. Congratulations to Olivia, the Kerchers, Meredith and all of the kind people of Perugia.

Posted by carlos on 06/05/13 at 09:10 PM | #

The description of the Knox/Mellas behavior in past years is very depressing. If only they had behaved honorably, and Knox had taken a short-form trial; the stress on the Kerchers would have been reduced; of course, not the grief, but the follow-on stress. But no (sigh).

However—-

This happy occasion has brought tears to my eyes, for Meredith deserves nothing less than to be honored in this way! Yeah Olivia! Yeah Stephanie! Yeah Meredith!

Posted by Earthling on 06/06/13 at 08:48 AM | #

Hurrah. The occasion generated some lovely photos. My favourite is the one from The Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10098409/Meredith-Kercher-award-won-by-London-student.html

Posted by bucketoftea on 06/06/13 at 04:13 PM | #

Hi Odysseus,

This is what the Mayor of Perugia is quoted as saying:

“We think that this is the best way to remember Meredith and send a message for this that has been one of the most dramatic events of our city, that has marked our present and our future.”

“In this overexposed media event the presence of the true victim has almost disappeared.  We want to remember her in the best way possible, a way that, according to us, would have been appreciated by Meredith.”

“To invite one of her colleagues, a student, to come here to Italy and to love Perugia the way Meredith did and as her family does.  I am very happy that a twenty year old girl is here today as our guest and has this possibility.”

“I am also very happy that Stephanie, Meredith sister,  is here too. The dignified way in which the family has handled their grief is an example that all of us can learn from as well as all the protagonists of this drama.”

Posted by Miriam on 06/06/13 at 06:01 PM | #

Miriam - thank you very much.

Posted by Odysseus on 06/06/13 at 07:52 PM | #

I think it is indicative of the posters herein who believe that intelligence is far more important than individual bottom feeders (at least comparatively speaking) such as Knox and Sollecito who obviously are just spoiled nonentities in some way, either too much money in the latter or only looking for a party in the former.

That is why this scholarship is so majestic. It is perhaps a small thing compared to the killing of intelligence as represented by Meredith by the hands of these two disgusting murderers. Yes the Scholarship is important but it will not bring Meredith back to life.

Posted by Grahame Rhodes on 06/06/13 at 08:13 PM | #

@Grahame Rhodes

In saying the obvious, you have explained to me my sadness…

Posted by SeekingUnderstanding on 06/06/13 at 10:51 PM | #

I would like to register my joy for the happy moments in Perugia. Best wishes Olivia.

Now, it’s back to dealing with net stalkers…eesh.

Posted by Bettina on 06/07/13 at 10:48 PM | #

I am so happy for the Meredith’s family, they must be so proud.

Posted by DF2K on 06/08/13 at 02:24 AM | #

Of course the galling thing for Amanda is that Perugia, in honouring Meredith in this manner, ensures that her memory lives on in a very real and tangible way. 

It is lovely to actually see the good folk of Perugia and to hear them speak so fondly of Meredith who really has been taken into their hearts and is, in a sense, theirs. 

Nothing could be more maddening for the jealous murderer who also liked Perugia and who tried to be the queen bee capturing all the attention and sympathy even during the legal proceedings but who is literally scorned and rejected by the vast majority of Perugians.

Well done Olivia!  What a beautifully fitting choice of language student to be the first to take up this award.

Thank you Perugia.  You are doing Meredith proud!

Posted by thundering on 06/08/13 at 04:59 AM | #

Giving a fellowship in support of an academic activity is an intellectual encouragement that will go far. Perhaps AK may not realize but many great Americans have contributed to education in ways (gave away their life’s saving to charity and education) that have made them immortal.

This is on a far smaller scale, but the spirit is the same; the trivial details will be slowly forgotten but the name and the spirit will live on. Just think of Cornell or Stanford…

AK could not have seen this: as several posters have pointed out, she is mentally handicapped to see beyond her present actions. I do not think I should say more than that…

One single good step can make the world a bit nicer place to live. That is what Stepahnie has done and we commend her.

In honoring Meredith, we ourselves are honored. We receive more than we give this way.

Thanks thundering for your nice comment.

Posted by chami on 06/08/13 at 03:54 PM | #

I’ve had computer problems lately, but was still able to read Cardiol’s timeline post and insights on Knox’s letters to her social worker by SeekingUnderstanding, great analysis on both posts.

John Kercher’s book, MEREDITH, shines ever brighter in comparison with the froth and untruth of Waiting To Be Heard. The cover photo of Meredith is sublime. Kercher tells of Meredith’s summer 2007 job on the London sightseeing buses as a tour guide. For this she took a 2-week training course about London history and its sites. Jayne Moore who hired her for the Original London Sightseeing Tour said, “I remembered deciding fairly early in the interview that I would offer her the job because her manner was charming and unaffected, and I could see that she had the right personality for it.”

“During the ten weeks that she worked for the company, she never complained, she was never off sick, loved getting a suntan and did a fantastic job.” (She was late once but after one warning she was never late again, obviously a fast learner). Often when the tour finished Meredith received a round of applause from the passengers.

She was popular with the drivers and other tour guides.” see pp. 62-65, John Kercher book).

Then in early August 2007 she began to talk about an opportunity for her to go to Italy as part of her studies. They wanted her back so she agreed with Mrs. Moore to return to the bus job after studies in Perugia.

I rode that same red bus throughout London in February 2012. You pass Buckingham Palace and behind it a strange old St. Ermine’s Hotel and the horse guards and then Victoria Station and past so much heritage and beauty. Meredith was learning so much. You pass by New Scotland Yard and can wave at the bobbies. She must have felt very close to Big Ben and parliament and the River Thames, crossing it daily by the Eye and the Tower Bridge. I fell in love with St. Pancras station, had never heard of it before. I rode those red buses every day for two weeks, sitting on top deck in a coat loving every minute of it with wind in my hair. The drivers and the guides make all the difference, from Lambeth Palace to Paddington and Marble Arch, and especially Trafalgar Square. You learn so much history.

The buildings are gigantic and stretch for endless miles through Westminster “city”, the churches are marvelous, Fleet Street, the Savoy, the British Museum. Sitting up high your head’s about even with the 2nd story of buildings, you can reach out and touch the carved stones. The bus tours are truly the heartbeat of the tourist. They orient you quickly to the city. The bus with its knowledgeable crew protects you from the street traffic and exhaustive walks. You see it all from a protected and secure vantage point in peace. Hop on, hop off, Meredith had the best job in the world. She was with an international crowd who can plug in earphones on the bus and select the language of choice, I think 7 or more offered. Baker Street Station, Madame Tussaud’s, Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Kensington it’s all good.

Posted by Hopeful on 06/08/13 at 05:45 PM | #

Thank you, chami.

I have found this whole delightful interlude very refreshing coming as it does after years of dark shenanigans and the necessary discussions and analyses thereof. 

The photos and video recordings of Stephanie and Olivia are beautiful.  A real breath of fresh air - and life!

Posted by thundering on 06/11/13 at 03:53 AM | #

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Or to previous entry Barbie Nadeau Interviews Meredith’s Mother On Her Continuing Hope For The Full Truth