Eight BLET family members receive James R. Hoffa scholarships

Eight Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) families received scholarships from the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund for the 2015-16 academic year.

Two students won $10,000 awards, which are renewed on annual basis. The winners of those awards were:

• Zane Thomas, son of Erik Thomas of Division 681 (Milford, Utah), a Union Pacific locomotive engineer; and

• Megan Western, daughter of Russell Western of Division 662 (Los Angeles), a BNSF Railway Co. locomotive engineer.

The remaining six students won one-time $1,000 awards:

• Braden Hausauer, son of Kevin Hausauer of Division 746 (Mandan, N.D.), a BNSF locomotive engineer;

• Shannon Schuetz, daughter of C.A. Schuetz of Division 444 (St. Louis, Mo.), a Norfolk Southern locomotive engineer;

• Haley Pereira, daughter of S. Pereira of Division 57 (Boston), a Keolis Commuter Services locomotive engineer;

• Blake Gambel, son of Chad Gambel of Division 604 (Madill, Okla.), a BNSF locomotive engineer;

• Delton Hall, son of Doug Hall of Division 299 (Amarillo, Texas), a BNSF Railway Co. locomotive engineer; and

• Jackson Airhart, son of Jack Airhart, secretary-treasurer of Division 944 (Forney, Texas), a Union Pacific Railroad locomotive engineer.

The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund provides scholarships annually to high school seniors who are children of International Brotherhood of Teamsters members. The BLET is a part of Teamsters.