Courtesy of Samantha Blevins

BLACKSBURG -- Following April 16, 2007, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets honored one of their own, Matthew LaPorte, a sophomore cadet member of the Highty-Tighties, killed that day in Norris Hall.

This week, the Corps of Cadets and the Virginia Tech Foundation are again honoring LaPorte.

An endowed memorial scholarship was started in LaPorte's name in 2007, and an auction will be held to benefit the scholarship.

A high-quality print, number two of 500, by Galax artist Jane Blevins is being auctioned on eBay. "That I May Serve" depicts a cadet band member and two young Virginia Tech fans.

Col. Rock Roszak, alumni director of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, worked closely with Blevins to make sure every detail of the cadet's uniform was correct. The final product took about six months, Blevins said.

She started working on the painting in October 2006 after being inspired by cadets standing at attention before a football game.

Before "That I May Serve" was dedicated to LaPorte and used to raise money for the scholarship in his honor, Blevins was donating a portion of profits from it to the Ut Prosim Memorial Project. It was established to help fund memorial scholarships to honor Army Lt. Jeff Kaylor and Lt. Tim Price, class of 2001, who were killed in Iraq.

"It was a struggle to get it completed according to cadet standards, but I was pleased when it was finished," Blevins said. "I donated some for auction, and [was] privileged to give a copy to the LaPorte family."

The scholarship, $10,000 over four years, is given to a member of the Highty-Tighties. Eventually Roszak would like to see two Matthew J. LaPorte Memorial Scholarships given out each year.

This is the second auction of a "That I May Serve" print specifically for the LaPorte fund. The first auction earned more than $1,000 through the Alumni Association. Roszak is hopeful that the second auction will bring in as much or more for the scholarship.

"I didn't know Matt LaPorte, but he is so special to us in the corps that dedicating the print to him seemed right," Roszak said. "It seemed like a wonderful way to remember someone who had a full life taken from him."

"That I May Serve" isn't the only Blevins prints to benefit a memorial for victims of April 16. Proceeds from "The Hokie Pokey" benefit the Ryan Christopher Clark Memorial Scholarship and "Equestrian Jumping Hy" benefits the fund in memory of Emily Jane Hilscher.

"I don't know if anything good can come out of it, but my hope is that it can help students go to Tech," said Blevins, a mother of two Tech alumni. "That's my way of helping."