DANBURY, CONN. — Western Connecticut State University has created a music scholarship to honor the memory of 6-year-old Ana Grace Márquez-Greene, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The Ana Grace Márquez-Greene Music Scholarship Fund was established to pay tribute to Márquez-Greene’s love of music by providing the opportunity to assist others who wish to pursue a music education at Western. The scholarship was created at the request of the first-grader’s parents, Jimmy Greene, a jazz saxophonist and an assistant professor of music at WCSU; and Nelba Márquez-Greene, program coordinator for the Family Therapy Institute at Klingberg Family Centers and adjunct faculty at Central Connecticut State University.

Her parents said Ana’s love for singing was evident before she was even able to talk.

“In a musical family, her gift for melody, pitch and rhythm stood out remarkably,” they said. “She never walked anywhere — her mode of transportation was dance. She danced from room to room and place to place. She danced to all the music she heard, whether in the air or in her head.

“Ana loved her God, loved to read the Bible and loved to sing and dance as acts of worship. We ask that you pray for the legions of people who are left behind to cherish memories of her.”

One way to honor Márquez-Greene’s memory is to make a gift to the scholarship fund. Gifts can be made care of Western Connecticut State University, Office of Institutional Advancement, 181 White St., Danbury, CT 06810 or online at www.wcsu.edu/ia/greene-scholarship.asp.

Dr. Dan Goble, chair of Western’s Department of Music said, “Jimmy’s wish is that Ana Grace’s love for music lives on through helping others.”

For more information, call Paul Steinmetz at (203) 837-9805 or email him at steinmetzp@wcsu.edu.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.