Four students win $2,500 SOAR scholarships with Labor essays

By ELIZABETH DONALD
Illinois Correspondent

Four students will receive a $2,500 scholarship as they pursue college in the fall, thanks to the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR).

Former Madison County Regional Superintendent Bob Daiber presented scholarships to the four students at a ceremony on Aug. 5. The essay topic this year was to focus on the power that Organized Labor flexed in 2022-23, including workers from the major industries of steel, public sector, health care, automotive and delivery, and Hollywood.

“Always remember what you wrote about in these essays, how Organized Labor bettered the Middle Class,” Daiber told the students. “Do not forget.”

SOAR President Dennis Barker said the group likes to give back to the community that gave them so much as steelworkers, largely associated with the Granite City steel plant. He told the group that 2023 saw massive gains by Labor.

“Labor rose up, and we saw how Organized Labor makes a difference for working families,” he said.

The students each received a $1,250 check to begin school and will receive the other half upon completing a full semester with at least a C average.

THE WINNERS
The scholarship winners are:

• Logan Bradford Flecke of Jefferson High School R-7, grandson of Terry Holst. Logan will attend Missouri State Technical College to study civil engineering.
  “I will… join the union like the rest of my family did, so I can support my own family in the future,” he wrote. “I also wish to bring those values into my own home and pass it down to my children and give them the future they deserve.”
• Kelsey Horn of Triad High School, granddaughter of Eldon “Mike” Geske and Phyllis Geske. Kelsey will attend Southwestern Illinois College to study graphic design, hoping to design advertisements and logos for businesses.
  “Just like JFK declared, unions are not ‘self-seeking groups,’ unions are a formidable force aiming to protect the working class in a world that favors everybody else,” Kelsey wrote.
• William May of Father McGivney Catholic High School, grandson of Doug and Kim May. William will be attending the University of Kentucky to study business administration.
  “Throughout all of American history there exists an undeniable connection that mixes with periods of social upheaval the Labor Movements that have relentlessly fought for fair treatment and equitable compensation for their members,” William wrote. “These movements have left a deep and resonating effect on the country’s economic landscape, resulting in a higher standard of living for all.”
• Madelyn Schaus of the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, granddaughter of Richard and Vicki Schaus. Madelyn will attend the University of Missouri-Columbia to study environmental science, hoping to pursue forestry, agriculture, or to become an herbarium specialist or botanist.
  “In this election year, union workers must make the most of the high support that they presently enjoy among the public,” Madelyn wrote. “This could, indeed, be a pivotal moment in time for Organized Labor, and the future could represent boundless opportunity and continued growth for not only union workers, but for all the middle class and working families in the United States.”

ADDITIONAL AWARDS
SOAR also presented  the following additional awards at the ceremony:

• 2024 Friend of SOAR Award to United Congregations of the Metro East.
• Ed Sadlowski 2024 Labor Leader of the Year Award to the United Steelworkers Local 1899 Women of Steel.
• SOAR Chapter Activist Award to Gloria Rains.
• SOAR Chapter Volunteer Award to Kenny Hay.