Christina Marie Bladow Awarded 2011 Ferretti Scholarship

Ms. Bladow, of Bellevue, Nebraska, is the 2011 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.

Christina Bladow will begin working on her degree in biology at Creighton University this fall. Ms. Bladow was one of the 60 entering students accepted into Creighton University’s Freshman Leadership Program and plans to join the Pre-Health Sciences Program on campus to help her efforts to be accepted to medical school following her undergraduate studies. Ms. Bladow aspires to someday become a doctor in the neonatal intensive care unit. In high school, she was a member of the National Honors Society and Modern Music Masters. She also participated in various volunteer and community outreach programs. She opted to dual-enroll at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, completing 25 credit hours while still in high school and received the Presidential Award in recognition of her academic achievements.

“The 2011 Ferretti Scholarship honors the memory of Romeo and Josephine Ferretti and their vision of providing financial aid to the children of airmen,” said Lew Ferretti. “The dedication Ms. Bladow has already illustrated toward her education makes her very deserving of this Scholarship.”

“The current expenses of college often can be distracting to scholars trying to further their education,” said Amy Mowbray. “With the enthusiasm Christina shows toward her future, this investment will without doubt be used well.”

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.

“The Ferretti Scholarship allows AFA to participate in the educational opportunities of dedicated young people in pursuit of furthering their education,” said George Muellner, AFA’s Vice Chairman of the Board for Aerospace Education. “We genuinely appreciate the great generosity of the Ferrettis and their vision.”

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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