Western Carolina University has established a Cherokee Studies Scholarship in honor of an Eastern Band leader and scholar. One death this year that had nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic hit the cultural community of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians hard. (There have been 6 COVID-19 related deaths reported by the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority.) T.J. Holland passed away in September at the age of 44. He was the cultural resources manager for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.