Kaye Litzinger knows she sounds like every other mom when she goes on about her deceased son, Daniel Hager, describing his work ethic, his determination to succeed and his relentlessly positive attitude toward those around them.

But she insists that every word of it is true.

“He was just perfect. ... I think anybody that knew him would say the very same things that I say about him. I don’t think it’s just coming from me,” she said.

Hager was just two weeks shy of his 32nd birthday when a random accident took his life as he headed out for his daily commute near Bluffton, S.C., in November 2005. According to a witness, a deer struck the rear passenger side of his car, flipping it into the path of an oncoming truck. Hager, a senior engineer and former Georgia Tech honor student, died instantly, leaving behind a wife and three young children.

His parents, Kaye and Gerry Litzinger, were naturally devastated. But their grief eventually turned into a determination to do something in their son’s honor.

“We talked about what we could do to try to bring something positive out of something so negative, a terrible event,” said Kaye, who lives with her husband in Forsyth County.

“Knowing that the children were so young, we felt like it would be easy for them to forget him. Of course, we didn’t want that to happen. We wanted to keep his memory alive for them.”

They also knew that education had been a top priority for their son, who had been among the highest-achieving students at Walton High and Georgia Tech, where he worked his way to a Master’s degree.

From that inspiration was born an endowment scholarship in Daniel’s memory, set aside for one incoming Tech freshman each year. The scholarship — administered by the West Lanier Georgia Tech Club — is open to Tech-bound high school graduates from all public and private schools in Forsyth County, along with Creekview and Milton.

This year, Milton graduate Michael Remensnyder became the first recipient when he was presented with the scholarship back in April.

In originally setting up the award, the Litzingers reached an agreement with Tech to raise $25,000 for the scholarship within five years. Once that mark was hit, the scholarship would be funded in perpetuity.

The Litzingers decided to hold a golf tournament last year to help with their end of the funding, and they called in a little heavy artillery for assistance.

“Bobby Cox is a very dear friend of ours, he and Pam, his wife,” Kaye explained, noting that the longtime Braves manager was quick to support the effort and recruit other baseball names to the cause.

A few Georgia Tech and football connections came in handy as well, and in the end, last year’s golf tournament had an impressive lineup of sports celebrities involved, including Cox; former Braves Mark Lemke, Andruw Jones and Javy Lopez; former Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkoswki; baseball Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski; and broadcaster Joe Simpson, just to name a few.

The Litzingers hit their five-year goal of $25,000 in just one day and then some, as the tournament pulled in around $32,000.

This year, the family is set to do it all again at Polo Golf & Country Club in Cumming. With the endowment now established forever, this year’s tournament will focus on raising even more for Tech students, including those who receive Hager’s award.

Thanks to plenty of corporate sponsorship, the tournament will feature impressive giveaways, including a $10,000 putting contest and a helicopter ball drop with cash and trips for the balls landing nearest the hole.

Another lineup of celebrities, with Cox as the honorary chairman, will also be back on the links for this year’s event.

“What a terrific event”, Cox said in a marketing release to promote this year’s tournament.

“We really hit a home run in 2008’s tournament. We hope you’ll step up to the plate and make 2009 another success for Daniel’s memorial scholarship.”

Kaye said that her son’s example has inspired her in death, in the way he refused to give up on meaningful goals, either personally or professionally.

“I just try to live by that ‘Never stop trying’ type of attitude,” she said.

To become a volunteer, sponsor or donor for the second annual Daniel Hager memorial golf tournament, contact Kaye Litzinger at (770) 380-7270.

E-mail BJ Corbitt at bjcorbitt@forsythnews.com.