Naval graduation
Donald Forrester, son of David and Marianne Dixon of Emporia graduated from “A” School Electronics Technician Pipeline at Naval Submarine School in New London, Conn. He graduated with an award for excellence in conduct and a meritorious promotion to E-3. He will be stationed at Bangor, Wash., on the blue crew of the USS Nebraska, a nuclear missile submarine. He was on leave in Emporia through Oct. 26.
At Boys State
Three Emporia High School students attended the American Legion Boys State of Kansas held June 11-17 at Manhattan. They were Matthew Cuadra, Joshua East and Tyler Thompson, sons of Robert and JoAnn Cuadra, Tim and Julie East and Kenneth and Deborah Thompson. More than 500 boys attended the summer program.
Thompson ran for state treasurer in the general election after winning the primary and was appointed head of the State Board of Education. He was elected one of 30 outstanding citizens. East was elected county senator and Cuadra was elected city commissioner. The boys were sponsored by American Legion Ball-McColm Post 5.
Soil judging
Kansas State University's Soil Judging Team won first place in the overall team and group judging categories at the 2006 Region 5 Soil Judging Contest, held recently in Manhattan. Paul Hartley of Emporia, a junior in agronomy, tied for sixth high individual in the competition.
The K-State team is now eligible to compete in the National Soil Judging Contest.
Leah Ferdinand of Reading is a junior in agronomy and a team member.
National Merit scholar
A student from Emporia is one of 56 University of Kansas students who have been recognized by one of three national scholarship programs: National Merit, National Achievement and National Hispanic.
Emporia Senior High School graduate Zahra Crystal Nasrazadani, the daughter of Grace and Mehdi Nasr-Azadani, is a psychology major at KU. She was awarded the National Merit Scholarship, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious national award bestowed upon high school seniors.
Emporian a KU scholar
Emporia Senior High School graduate, Megan Ann Bollinger was awarded the Watkins-Berger Scholarship at the University of Kansas. She is the daughter of Timothy and Lynnette Bollinger and is a freshman in pre-medicine.
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Office of Admissions and Scholarships has announced the names of 101 students who have received KU’s prestigious Summerfield and Watkins-Berger scholarships for fall 2006.
Watkins-Berger scholarships for women are financed by the estate of philanthropist Elizabeth M. Watkins of Lawrence and an endowment in memory of Emily Berger by her younger brother, the late Arthur Berger, and his wife, Marie. Emily Berger, who received a bachelor’s from KU in 1914, died in 1920 before receiving a master’s in chemistry. What became the Watkins-Berger scholarships were first established by the Bergers in 1943.