McKinna Receives First Kutteh Family Scholarship

Jonathan Steven McKinna of Statesville was awarded the scholarship, which is granted to Wake Forest undergraduate students with preference given to those from Statesville and Iredell County.

A 1997 graduate of Statesville High School, McKinna was president of the Beta Club and co-editor of the yearbook. He attended North Carolina Governor’s School.

He is the son of Gary and Frances McKinna of Statesville.

Hanna and Ann Kutteh, who immigrated to Statesville in 1950 from Lebanon, helped establish the scholarship with their son Costi and his wife, Teresa, to honor the ties the family has to Wake Forest and Statesville. The Kutteh’s other sons, Billy and Bobby, are also supporting the scholarship fund, which has an endowment of more than $180,000. All three sons, as well as Teresa Kutteh, are Wake Forest graduates.

“One of my parent’s main goals was to provide a college education and a good start in life for their children,” said Costi Kutteh. “We want to do the same for other Statesville students.”

Hanna Kutteh has retired from his Statesville obstetrics and gynecology practice. Costi Kutteh, an attorney, and Teresa Kutteh, a school counselor at Union Grove School, also live in Statesville. Billy Kutteh is a physician at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Memphis. Bobby Kutteh is a vice president with Ivax Corporation in Laguna Niguel, Calif.

The Kuttehs are involved in numerous community activities in Statesville and Iredell County.