BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, Aug. 7 -- Samford University issued the following news release: * * * New Scholarship Honors a Lifetime of Artistry, Mentorship and Backstage Excellence * For more than four decades, Eric Olson helped audiences see worlds that did not exist until the curtain rose. A painted backdrop became a city street. A carefully placed light transformed a stage into a moonlit landscape. Costumes, scenery and technical artistry combined to tell stories that lingered long after the fi  more