Joseph Rutherford was awarded the Taylor Moore Memorial Scholarship at the New Albany High School graduation ceremony on May 25, 2018.  The $5,000 competitive scholarship is given each year to a deserving NAHS student who plans to attend college in Mississippi.  The scholarship selection process includes criteria relating to character, GPA, extracurricular activities, written essay, and an interview by a selection committee.

Joseph is the son of Beverly and Ross Rutherford, Sr.   He plans to attend Mississippi State University this fall and pursue his studies in Engineering.

Rutherford was a member of the New Albany High School Marching Band where he served as a student leader.  An honor graduate, he was a member of the ACT 30+ Club, Mu Alpha Theta, and Spanish Club.  Rutherford was also involved with the School Musical.   He was a member of the Union County Leadership Academy.  At NAHS, he was a two-sport athlete, participating in track and bowling.

The Taylor Moore Scholarship was established by Bobby and Minerva Moore in memory of their son who died in 2000.  Taylor Moore was a 1988 honor graduate of W.P. Daniel High School.  He was Mr. DHS, Most Popular, Most Dignified, and Class Favorite and was active in student government.  Moore played first base for the DHS baseball team, and received numerous academic honors.  He went on to receive his bachelors and masters degrees in business administration from Mississippi State University.

The scholarship established in his memory has been awarded for fourteen years to outstanding graduates of New Albany High School.  Past recipients of the Taylor Moore Scholarship are Stacy Stepp, Darden Holmes, Kyle Kimbrough, Ivy Lauren Williams, Kyle Hickey, Callie Creekmore, Taylor Goode, Josh Creekmore, Olivia Dunnam, Lauren Cavender, Jack Hickey, Meghan Van, and Sam Cagle.