The March 2021 death of Antuon Townsend from colon cancer at age 39 hit many in Arlington hard.
Townsend was known by young and old across the county through a wide array of community involvement. He was a popular personal trainer, instructor and coach of basketball and sports camps in Arlington for youth of all ages.
More than three years after his death, because of the Antuon Townsend Memorial Fund of the Arlington Community Foundation, he is still having a huge impact on the county and its residents.
In 2024, the memorial fund has reached new highs.
The fund provides a college scholarship for a senior at the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and countless summer-camp experiences for Arlington youth at Abingdon, Barrett, Innovation, Carlin Springs, Barcroft, Claremont and Randolph elementary schools. In addition, eight young men from Arlington were able to attend two weeks of a basketball camp at Wakefield High School.
H-B Woodlawn student Fana Dereje, a 2024 graduate, received a college scholarship as a result of the Townsend fund. She is finishing her first semester at the University of Virginia. In previous years, four other high-school students have received college scholarships through the fund.
Townsend grew up in Arlington. He became a four-year starting varsity boys basketball player at Wakefield as a skinny 5-foot-9 guard under former coach Bob Veldran. His efforts helped the Warriors reach the state tournament in 1996 and finish second in the Northern Region Tournament, before graduating in 2000.
Townsend went on to play basketball in college at Garrett Community College in Maryland, then at Shenandoah University in Winchester.
At the time of Townsend’s death, Graham McBride, an assistant principal at H-B Woodlawn, related how those who knew him were devastated.
“I am hearing from people from all over about Antuon. He coached so many teams and kids, and his impact on them was substantial,” McBride said then. “All of Arlington were his kids.”
McBride related how Townsend helped teach a young student from Mongolia how to speak English through basketball, and how he worked wonders with special-needs students.
McBride remains heavily involved with the Townsend Memorial Fund. He asked local residents to continue donating to the fund, both for what it supports and to keep the memory of the popular Townsend very much alive.
