First Recipient of Avfuel Michigan Business Aviation Scholarship Announced

Contact: Cassandra Bosco

Washington, DC, October 25, 2004 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announces the first recipient of the Avfuel Michigan Business Aviation Scholarship, which was created earlier this year. William Merriweather will receive $500 toward his studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

William Merriweather is a Western Michigan University senior who is pursuing a B.S. in advanced aviation maintenance technology and a minor in business management. As part of the Ronald McNair Scholar’s Program, his undergraduate student research project analyzes factors affecting employment dynamics and organizational structure in the maintenance field of aviation. He has served as the maintenance representative on the Western Michigan Aviation Student Council and is a founding member of the university’s Multicultural Association of Aviation Professionals. He intends to eventually obtain his A&P certification and attend graduate school.

In cooperation with corporate sponsor Avfuel Corporation, NBAA offers the Avfuel Michigan Business Aviation Scholarship to benefit a student pursuing an aviation degree at an eligible Michigan college or university. This scholarship will be annually awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student who is officially enrolled in an aviation-related program at any of the following Michigan schools: Andrews University, Eastern Michigan University, Lansing Community College, Northwestern Michigan College and Western Michigan University.

For more information, contact Jay Evans, NBAA director, operations, at (202) 783-9353 or jevans@nbaa.org.

The Avfuel Michigan Business Aviation Scholarship is one of several scholarships offered by NBAA to promote professional development and business aviation careers. For more information or to download applications in PDF format, visit www.nbaa.org/scholarships.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, Avfuel Corporation is the nation’s leading independent supplier of aviation fuels and services. The company serves more than 700 Avfuel-branded dealers and 2,500 other aviation customers nationwide. Avfuel offers all aviation fuels in addition to comprehensive support programs for customers in aviation.

NBAA represents the aviation interests of nearly 8,000 companies that own or operate general aviation aircraft as an aid to the conduct of their business, or are involved with business aviation. NBAA Member Companies earn annual revenues approaching $5 trillion — a number that is about half the gross domestic product — and employ more than 19 million people worldwide. The NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention is the world’s largest display of civil aviation products and services.

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