Kevin, Betsy and Julia Varney have established a Scholarship Fund in memory of their beloved son and brother, John Benjamin Varney at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. John was a 2019 graduate of St. John’s and had started his freshman year at Elon University when he passed away from cancer. John was passionate about sports and politics. He was a four-time NW Little League All-Star, and his love of baseball continued as the team manager for the St. John’s Cadets baseball team. Beyond baseball, he was an avid skier, swimmer, and golfer. He had his first hole-in-one at age 12, on the 4th of July in Skaneateles NY, a feat he delighted in bringing up during almost any round of golf.

In John’s junior year, 2017, he was diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. He spent the next two years undergoing surgeries and treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Despite being treated in New York, John was determined to keep up with his classwork and was supported continuously by his St. John’s teammates, classmates and teachers. John was elected Homecoming King and graduated with his class in 2019.

The recurrence of his osteosarcoma led John to become one of the first participants in a new immunotherapy clinical trial developed by MSKCC to treat osteosarcoma. John’s participation in the trial did not stop the progression of his cancer, but ultimately advanced researchers’ understanding of the disease, as well as promising treatment options and therapies.