Eleven children of highway workers who were killed or permanently disabled on the job will receive post-high school financial assistance for the 2020-21 school year from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation's (ARTBA-TDF) "Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship" fund.
Now in its 21st year, the program was established with a gift from two Roanoke, Va., highway contractors and their companies — Stan Lanford (1999 ARTBA chairman) of Lanford Brothers, and Jack Lanford (1991 ARTBA chairman), with Adams Construction Company.
More than 100 highway workers are killed annually in roadway construction and maintenance accidents, and thousands more are seriously injured.
Scholarships have been given to students from 32 states to pursue undergraduate and graduate courses as well as technical training.
The 2020 class includes:
- Caitlyn Rains, Proctor, Ark.
Caitlyn's father, James "Bubba" Rains, was killed in 2013 while working in a night construction zone for APAC Tennessee. Caitlyn is studying respiratory therapy at Arkansas State University, where she will be a senior.
- Stan Jones Jr., Gaston, S.C.
Stan's father, Standra Jones Sr., died in 2007 after being struck by a vehicle while at work for the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Stan will be in his second year of graduate studies in architecture at Clemson University in South Carolina.
- Willie Blevins, Athens, Ga.
Willie's mother, Kathy Blevins, worked for the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation. She had just finished painting turn-lane lines when her vehicle was struck and she was killed in 2004. Willie is a mechanical engineering major at the University of Georgia.
- Amy McNeil Graves, Lumberton, Texas
Amy's father, Jeffrey McNeil, was killed in 2005 while working for the Texas Department of Transportation. Amy is in registered nursing school at Lamar State College in Port Arthur.
Jenna's father, Gregory Jares, was killed in 2001 while working for the Texas Department of Transportation special crews. Jenna is a sophomore studying occupational therapy at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.
- Hadley Voudrie, Trussville, Ala.
Hadley's father, Darin Voudrie, was struck and killed while working for Jefferson County Roads and Transportation in 2015. Hadley will be a junior at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where she studies elementary education.
- Carolyn Lillis, Philomath, Ore.
Carolyn's father, Scott Lillis, was permanently disabled in 2015 while driving in a work zone for his employer Knife River Corporation. Carolyn will be a junior at Oregon State University in Corvallis where she studies physical therapy.
- Mashawn Blubaugh, Howard, Ohio
Mashawn's father, Shawn Blubaugh, died in 2010 while working for the Ohio Department of Transportation. Mashawn will be a junior at Kent State University and is majoring in early childhood education.
- Andrea Pair, Spiro, Okla.
Andrea's father, Shannon Pair, was struck and killed while working for Time Striping Inc., in 1998. Andrea is in her third year of graduate school at Harding University's College of Pharmacy in Searcy, Ark.
- Faith Shoemaker, Webster, S.D.
Faith's father, John Shoemaker, was killed in an aviation accident while returning from a job site for Webster Scale Inc., a highway construction and heavy equipment company. Faith is studying construction management at South Dakota State University in Brookings.
- Joann Jones, Bluffton, Ind.
Joann's father, Dale, was struck and killed in 2009 while working for the City of Anderson Street Department. Joann will be a freshman studying biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
For more information, visit www.artbatdf.org.
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