A scholarship honoring a late Forsyth County businessman has been established at Lanier Technical College.

The Herbert Ascott “Buddy” Lang Jr. Memorial Scholarship was recently started to assist students in the college’s design and media production technology degree program.

Lang, president and CEO of Lang Signs Inc. in Cumming, passed away in June 2011.

His daughter, Valery Lang Hall, said the family wanted to do something to honor his memory while helping others.

“[Establishing the scholarship] made logical sense because he had often placed and taken interns from Lanier Tech in that program in the past,” she said.

“So we felt like it was a good fit for what his industry was in and … he had placement with interns years before this, so we decided it would be good.”

Applications are being accepted for the scholarship, with the first recipient scheduled to be named sometime later this summer before the start of the fall semester.

Hall noted it was important that scholarship recipients hail from Forsyth, since Lang was a lifelong county resident.

“We wanted to make sure it, number one, went to Forsyth County residents based on need,” she said.

Hall added that it was also important that the scholarship cover all expenses associated with the degree program, which typically takes two years to complete.

“Also we wanted to be able to offer a full scholarship, not just partial by semester,” she said. “This will be for a full degree, so that was kind of a big thing for us.”

Another factor that makes the scholarship somewhat different is the possibility for the recipient of an internship with Lang Signs Inc.

“The one thing that really kind of makes this one unique too is the possibility, and that’s a big key word, but the possibility for an internship through the company … so that would probably be appealing to somebody in the industry,” she said.

Lang Signs Inc. was founded in the late 1920s by Lang’s father, H.A. Lang Sr.

According to the company’s Web site, much of its success was “attributed to H.A. Lang Sr.’s ability to hand letter billboards and signs with uncommon precision and skill.”

The company is considered a national leader in the sign manufacturing industry, with Buddy Lang leading it through the evolution of technology and digital content for several decades.

Hall said the company, along with her family, was instrumental in beginning the scholarship.

“Lang Signs has obviously been very involved and will be involved in the future with it,” she said.

The funding for the first scholarship was collected by the family, said Hall, adding that an endowment will be established to fund the scholarship on a long-term basis.

At that time, donations could be made to support the scholarship.

“We’re thinking about [opening it up to donations],” she said. “The family funded the first one, so we’re thinking about opening that up just so we can grow the endowment.

“That’s pretty appealing because the [Lanier Technical College Foundation] is handling it, which means the contributions are tax-deductible, so it’s kind of a win-win.”

Hall said her father would be happy to know his legacy is being used to help students who want to go into his field.

“He was real passionate about helping people with their education and especially with his industry,” she said.