Foundation Awards 2008 Daniel A. Terry Scholarships
Tesha B. Loutzenhiser of Idyllwild and Nicholas T. Reiner of Long Beach were each honored with $500 scholarships on April 18, 2008. Both individuals were asked to write about what the "fire service family" means to them.
Tesha Loutzenhiser is the daughter of Mark Allen Loutzenhiser, a member of U.S. Forest Service Engine 57 which was overtaken in 2006 by the Esperanza fire. She wrote about her father's "second family" and realized the strong bond this family kept as the hard days directly following her father's death passed.
"Many of the firefighters helped our family get through the hardest event in our lives, losing my Dad," Tesha wrote. She also described the support her fire service family gave to her as they convinced Habitat for Humanity to build a new home for her family.
Nicholas Reiner is the son of Eric Reiner, a Long Beach firefighter who was killed in a 1998 helicopter crash. Nicolas wrote about the helicopter crash being the most influential event of his life and the personal contact that he has had with the fire service since.
"In memorials, golf tournaments, and other fire related social events, members of the fire service have shown interest in me and shared stories of my father with me," he wrote. "I feel that my family and I are still an integral part of the fire family and I am glad that those in the fire family have always treated us with welcome and open arms."
The Daniel A. Terry Scholarship is open to the surviving children of fallen California firefighters whose names are eligible for the California Firefighters Memorial. Students must be enrolled in college, and are eligible to receive scholarships for each year they are enrolled. Reiner, who begins his sophomore year at Stanford University in the fall, is a two-time recipient. Tesha will begin her freshman year this fall at California State University, Chico.
For more information about the Daniel A. Terry scholarship, please go to www.cafirefoundation.org or call 916.921.9111.