Carolyn Korman described her late son, 20-year-old Alexander “Xan” Korman, as passionate about photography, generous in sharing his skills and happy to see others succeed.
To illustrate her point, she spoke about the time he got to photograph a youth basketball tournament attended by NBA superstars LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.
Another photographer who was with her son pointed out the towering basketball figures and said Xan should take the shot. But instead, she said, her son told his friend to take the photo of the two stars, and Xan would record an image showing his friend getting the photo of James and Anthony.
“That photograph that that other photographer took ended up in People magazine, Sports Illustrated,” Carolyn Korman said, adding that it changed the trajectory of the other photographer’s life.
That is the kind of young man her son was — eager to let others shine, Carolyn Korman said.
Xan Korman grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, attended Walter Johnson High School and was a rising junior at Butler University when he was fatally shot on his way to a party in Upper Marlboro in 2021. The investigation to find the suspect involved in the case remains open.
Xan Korman was an organ donor, signing up to be one as soon as he was eligible, his mother said. It’s something the family had talked about, and it was in keeping with her son’s desire to help others.
After his death, his parents created the Xan Korman Legacy Project.
“This is what keeps us going forward,” Carolyn Korman said, adding that it was a way to try to “make something positive” from the loss the family suffered and try “to continue what he could not continue.”
The Xan Korman Scholarship offers five scholarships of $1,000 each to aspiring photographers who are passionate about photography but also care about the impact that organ donation can have. The scholarship was made possible through a partnership with Infinite Legacy, a nonprofit that facilitates organ, eye and tissue donations in D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.
Applicants should be between the ages of 16 and 25 years old, and are required to write an essay and submit three examples of their work.
Applications are being accepted through Aug. 31.
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