Mark Ransford, a student from Caro studying mortuary science at Wayne State University in Detroit, received a $1,000 educational stipend in a national contest sponsored by Keystone Group Holdings of Tampa, Florida.

Keystone is a Florida-based company that operates more than 100 funeral homes throughout the United States,

Ransford, a senior in the Mortuary Science Professional Program at WSU, received the award for his essay, "The Role of Ceremony and How it Helps in the Grieving Process."

Ransford's essay tells of the observances and ceremonies held on the Wayne State campus following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Ceremony helps put grief into words and song, he said, and allows us to "find relief in sharing our feelings with other people with the same sense of helplessness and despair."

For information on the Mortuary Science Program at Wayne State, contact Paula Piggott at (313) 577-2050.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 14 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

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