RIT Awards 2001 Kodak/Howard Bingham Scholarship

Celeste Holt-Walters, a fourth-year advertising photography major at Rochester Institute of Technology, has been awarded the 2001 Kodak/Howard Bingham Scholarship. A resident of Kingston, Mass., Holt-Walters becomes the second recipient of this annual honor.

Howard Bingham, a renowned photographer who spent the past four decades documenting many of America’s historical turning points, presented the scholarship during a presentation at RIT on Dec. 5.

Kodak Professional, a division of Eastman Kodak Co., provided a $25,000 endowment in 2000 for the scholarship in tribute to Bingham’s dedication and talent. The annual award benefits minority students within the bachelor of fine arts program at RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.

Best known for his photographs of Muhammad Ali, Bingham cultivated a relationship with the legendary boxer that resulted in a lifetime friendship. His access to Ali’s public and private life is reflected in a book of Bingham’s photographs, Muhammad Ali: A Thirty-Year Journey, published in 1993. In addition, Bingham is executive producer of the upcoming motion picture, Ali, starring Will Smith. The film is scheduled to be released this Christmas.

For more information on how to contribute to the Kodak/Howard Bingham Scholarship at RIT, contact Deborah McKinzie Bristol in RIT’s Office of Development at 475-2128.