Family establishes scholarship in memory of Norman "Trey" Alva Armstrong III

A scholarship fund has been established at McDaniel College in memory of Norman “Trey” Alva Armstrong III through a $25,000 gift from his family to the college. 

The Norman “Trey” Alva Armstrong III Memorial Scholarship is to be awarded annually starting in the 2024-25 academic year to a McDaniel student with financial need in good standing, as defined by the college, with preference given to a student in Pre-Law and/or in the Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) program. 

Armstrong came to McDaniel in fall 2019 as a member of the Class of 2023 after graduating from the Lab School of Washington. A Business Administration major, he was enrolled as a student at the college until he had to take a leave of absence at the end of the fall semester of his senior year due to a recurrence of childhood leukemia. Before his death on July 18, 2023, he had planned to return to McDaniel to complete his studies and then progress to Penn State Dickinson Law where he had already been accepted.  

McDaniel College President Julia Jasken described him as “a student of strength, tenacity, and determination” in a message she shared with the campus community about his passing. 

He was involved in the Culinary Club and Pre-Law Society at McDaniel and was a member of the American Finance and the American Economic associations. He also worked part-time at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.  

Additionally, known as “Captain Trey,” Armstrong held a U.S. Coast Guard master’s license and was the owner of Armstrong Powerboat Services, LLC, training boat owners and providing water tours. He was also a certified paramedic with the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, where he was promoted to lieutenant and was commended after saving the life of a three-year-old child as a senior paramedic in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Georgetown University Hospital. 

“Trey enjoyed his time at McDaniel and really excelled as a student in the Economics and Business Administration department there. This scholarship is a way for us to honor his memory while giving back to the place that meant so much to him,” said Trey’s father, Norman Armstrong Jr. 

More than 90% of McDaniel College students receive some type of financial assistance with nearly $55 million in grants and scholarships awarded to students annually.  

Students do not apply separately for the scholarship but are selected from the admissions applicant pool. The scholarship is renewable all four years.