Experimental kit aircraft producer Sonex Aircraft of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation have established two scholarships for graduating area high school seniors in memory of two company employees who were killed in a June 2 accident.
The Jeremy T. Monnett Memorial Scholarship Fund will make a $600 award available annually to a qualifying graduating high school senior from an Oshkosh public or private high school who is pursuing a degree at a four-year college or university in aerospace or aeronautical engineering, mechanical engineering, or other aerospace-related major field of study, the company said in a news release.
The Mike Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund will make a $600 award available annually to a graduating high school senior with a passion for aviation who plans to attend Clark’s alma mater, Fox Valley Technical College’s SJ Spanbauer Center, or other college for a degree in the aviation field.
Donations are being sought to fund both scholarships for the long term.
Monnett, Sonex’s CEO, and Clark, an assembly mechanic, died when the two-seat Sonex SA they were flying crashed shortly after takeoff from Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport on June 2.
“Both Jeremy and Mike would be so proud that their legacy will live on through the opportunity these scholarships provide,” said John Monnett, founder and president of Sonex Aircraft and Monnett’s father.
Sonex appealed to members of the aviation community and northeastern Wisconsin residents to contribute to the funds.
“Just $10,000 in total donations for each fund will allow these scholarships to exist perpetually using their own interest income to make award disbursements at $600 per year, creating a lasting legacy,” said Mark Schaible, Sonex’s general manager.
Donations exceeding that amount level “will allow the scholarships to increase award values, increase the number of recipients per year, or increase the frequency of award disbursement,” Sonex said.
Funds will be held in the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation’s investment pool. Foundation committees will solicit student applications and select winning scholarship candidates.
The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation awarded $611,000 in scholarships in 2014, said Oshkosh Area Community Foundation Board President Mark Lasky.
Dan Namowitz
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