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For Immediate Release
September 2, 2010
Air Force Association announces the 2010 Ferretti Scholarship
Arlington, VA – The Air Force Association (AFA) today announced the 2010 recipient of the Lt Col (Ret) Romeo and Josephine Bass Ferretti Scholarship.
 This remarkable endowment was established through a bequest of the late Lt Col Ferretti of Bourne, Massachusetts, and a personal gift from the late Mrs. Ferretti. The $250,000 endowment from the Ferretti estate, managed by Amy Mowbray and Col Lew Ferretti, USMCR (Ret), makes possible a yearly scholarship of $2,500 to minor dependents of enlisted Air Force active duty, reserve or guard personnel selected with consideration of both merit and need. The first scholarships were distributed three years ago.
"We’re very pleased with Karina’s selection for the 2010 Ferretti Scholarship," said Lew Ferretti. "This scholarship provides opportunities for young people from Air Force families in honor of the memory and vision of Romeo and Josephine Ferretti."
"The 2010 Ferretti Scholarship will help Karina get a great start with an excellent education," said Amy Mowbray. "This Scholarship is a great investment in her bright future.”
This year’s recipient of the $2,500 Scholarship is Karina Altman of Schertz, Texas. She will begin working on her degree in marine biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Her aspirations include obtaining a Masters Degree in Marine Biology and working hands-on with marine animals. She has taken part in two Careers Camps at Sea World San Antonio and a Marine Biology Sea Camp at Texas A&M University at Galveston. In high school she was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, and was the Varsity Boys Basketball team manager. Some of her community service activities include knitting scarves for a Native American charity, performing in a rodeo to entertain kids with cancer and working with her local food bank.
"AFA appreciates the generosity of Lt. Col. Romeo and Josephine Ferretti. Promoting education is an important part of AFA’s mission, and we’re so pleased to have a part in Karina’s future through the 2010 Ferretti Scholarship,” said S. Sanford Schlitt, AFA’s Vice Chairman of the Board for Aerospace Education.
The late Lt Col Ferretti and his late wife were long time supporters of AFA and advocates of education. Lt Col Ferretti served in the Air Force for more than 23 years, beginning in World War II with the Army Air Corps where he volunteered for flight training. He went on to fly in the P-61 Black Widow night-fighter. On Easter Sunday in 1945, he was shot down over enemy territory, but was able to parachute to safety and evade capture. After retirement in 1966, he became a stockbroker and financial planner.
Mrs. Ferretti was a secondary and high school teacher and retired after 30 years of teaching. While she and her husband were stationed at MacDill AFB, Florida, she taught Airmen from the base their General Education Degree program requirements as well as other courses. She said the reason for the scholarship fund is for children of Airmen, noting her husband Romeo did not have the money available to attend college and wanted to see more children have that opportunity. Originally from Opelika, Alabama, Mrs. Ferretti and her late husband had called Tampa, Florida, their home.
AFA advocates education, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), to develop the skills that are crucial to airpower, national security and economic vitality. For more information on how to support these programs and other AFA educational initiatives, go to http://www.afa.org/aef/cntrbtns/.
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The AFA is a 501(C)(3), nonprofit organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA has over 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing 120,000 members. Visit AFA www.AFA.org.
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