2001 - 2003 Award Recipients

Kate Crow, of Hanna City, IL, was awarded a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship for the 2003/2004 school year. She recently graduated from Bradley University with a degree in education. She was awarded the scholarship as the surviving stepdaughter of a Logan Trivoli (Hanna City) firefighter, Brian Hauk, who died in the line of duty. Kate attended the 2004 Scholarship Award luncheon and appears with Joan McCallen (President, Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship and CEO, ICMA-RC).

Courtney Blakemore, of Horn Lake, MS, was awarded a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship for the 2002/2003 school year. At the time, she was majoring in criminal justice at the LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN. She was awarded the scholarship as the surviving daughter of William Blakemore who lost his life in the line of duty working for the Memphis Fire Department. She attended the 2004 Scholarship Award luncheon and appears with Joan McCallen (President, Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship and CEO, ICMA-RC).

Megan, Moira and Kristen Conlon were each awarded a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship for the 2002/2003 school year. For any family, sending three children to college at one time would be a challenge. For the Conlon sisters, it was made more difficult by the tragic loss of their stepfather in the line of duty. Seeking ways to help defray their educational costs, the three sisters applied separately for scholarships through the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. A few months later, they received the call — all three had won awards that were sponsored in part by the Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship Fund. At the time they were awarded the scholarships, Megan was an early childhood education major at St. Xavier University. Moira also attended St. Xavier with plans to go to graduate school after obtaining her degree in elementary education. And Kristen was in the four-year doctor of pharmacy program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Brooke Schaefer, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN was awarded a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship for the 2001/2002 school year. It was her mom who encouraged her to apply for a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship. After going on-line to find out the details, she submitted all of her paperwork just under the deadline. Her effort was rewarded when she became of the highly qualified applicants who were awarded a scholarship in the program's first year. At the time, Brooke was a political science major with a minor in journalism.

Stephanie Simenson, of Horn Lake, MS, was awarded a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship for the 2001/2002 school year. At the time, she was majoring in business administration at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL. She was awarded the scholarship as the surviving daughter of Timothy Simenson who lost his life in the line of duty working for the City of Crest Hill Police Department. She attended the 2004 Scholarship Award luncheon and appears with Joan McCallen (President, Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship and CEO, ICMA-RC).

Jessica Fiore, Boston College, Boston, MA, was awarded a Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship for the 2002/2003 school year. It was Jessica's mother, Charlene who encouraged her to apply to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation scholarship, sponsored in part by the Vantagepoint Memorial Scholarship Fund. After the 9/11 loss of her father, Michael, a 20-year career NYC firefighter, “my mom had gone to D.C. to testify and the people from the foundation told her about the scholarship.” At the time, Jessica was majoring in public relations and elementary education and was active in the undergraduate student government's communications department.