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This year there were ten recipients and a total of
$29,500 handed out in scholarship awards.
The day began a little before 7 a.m. as guests
arrived early and were greeted by Sam Opperman with the Farm Bureau
Young Leaders and Chassidy White with Lincoln Daily News. Guests
enjoyed that first cup of coffee while networking with other guests.
Then, at 7 a.m. Farm Bureau Director Jim Drew thanked
everyone for coming and called on David Opperman to deliver the
blessing on the morning meal and the day’s activities.
After prayer, guests were encouraged to take advantage of the buffet
breakfast donated by Lincoln Memorial Hospital and prepared by Nick
Bay and staff of Lincoln Land Catering.
After breakfast, Farm Bureau President Derek Martin
came to the podium. He noted that as of this year, the Farm Bureau
has handed out a total of $157,000 in agriculture scholarships to
Logan County students. He said that this year was an all-time high
amount with $29,500 being awarded and ten recipients.
He introduced each of the recipients who came forward
to be acknowledged and then stood at the front of the room until all
the awards had been announced.
This year the recipients were:
Kyleigh Ott
Hartsburg-Emden High School
Major: Animal Science
Awarded $1,000
Michelle Benner
Hartsburg-Emden High School
Awarded $1,000
Landon Smith
Mt. Pulaski High School
Major: Ag business
Awarded $2,000
Caden Kindred
Olympia High School
Major: Ag Business
Awarded $2,500
Ella Bobell
Mt. Pulaski High School
Major: Animal Science
Awarded $2,500
Porter Schwantz
Lincoln Community High School
Major: animal Science
Awarded $3,500
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Peyton Schwantz
Lincoln Community High School
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Awarded $3,500
Scout Tschantz
Mt. Pulaski High School
Major: Ag Education
Awarded $3,500
Alec Martin
Mt. Pulaski High School
Major: Electric Distribution Lineman
Awarded $5,000
Joe Dahmm
Lincoln Community High School
Major: Agriculture
Awarded $5,000
After the presentation of the scholarships, the guest speaker of the
day was introduced.
This year, the guest speaker for the breakfast was
Scott Lynn Betzelberger. Betzelberger was originally scheduled to
speak at the 2020 ag breakfast which had to be cancelled due to the
Coronavirus pandemic. Mike Maske of Mt. Pulaski had suggested
Betzelberger then and made the arrangements for the speaker to come
to Lincoln. After cancelling in 2020, Maske again brought
Betzelberger to the Farm Bureau for 2024 and again made arrangements
for the speaker.
Scott Lynn Betzelberger is a Logan County native who grew up on the
farm in the New Holland area. He went on to become a sports caster
and in his own words, “lived a charmed life” getting to do for a
living what he dreamed of doing as a child.
Betzelberger said after retiring from a marvelous career, he had
some milestone events that came quite unexpectedly. He authored two
books the first being “THORNRIDGE: The Perfect Season in Black and
White” and the second being “Sports Idols’ idols.” He has had the
great privilege of meeting many basketball stars as well as being a
guest of the white house during the Obama administration.
Betzelberger is also a cancer survivor and said that transcribing
notes and tapes for one of his books was how he spent his time
during chemotherapy treatments.
On Thursday, Betzelberger shared his memories of childhood in Logan
County, his high school basketball career, and how he went on to
become a professional sportscaster and the experiences he had as
such.
In his opening remarks, Betzelberger gave a history
of his life on the farm in Logan County. He said he grew up on the
farm, did chores, showed livestock for 4-H and helped his dad bale
hay. However farming was never his love, his love was sports. He
recalled playing wiffle ball alone as a child and calling his own
plays. He said there was a time when his mother was watching him out
the kitchen window, making his hits and calling his own plays and
she sighed and remarked to his sister Rita “What is that kid ever
going to do in life?”
2024 Farm Bureau Ag Scholarship Breakfast
Guest Speaker Scott Betzelberger
Part One
Betzelberger talks about his youth in Logan County
Betzelberger went on to talk about his high school basketball career
and the fact that his team was number two in the state with
Thornridge – the subject of his first book – being number one.
He remembered the night the team played Pinckneyville, a game they
should have won, but they blew it. Coach Duncan Reid was not happy
with his players at the half time. He gave them all a piece of his
mind, and broke his clipboard on Betzelberger’s head.
He went on to speak about life after retirement, getting to meet the
President and first family and having them attend a game he was
announcing and the blunder that caused him to look for the “red dot”
on his shirt.
2024 Farm Bureau Ag Scholarship Breakfast
Guest Speaker Scott Betzelberger
Part Two
Betzelberger recalls his senior year losing to Pinckneyville and the
reaction of coach Duncan Reid, his career, and the day he met
President Barack Obama.
As he began wrapping up his talk, Betzelberger talked about his
cancer, his writing of the two books and the personal value he found
in writing Thornridge. He said that the book was special as that
Thornridge team was a dream team and one he always wondered what
happened to the starting five. He said that the IHSA was thrilled
with the book when it was published. He added that one ambition he
did not get to fulfill was calling a state championship game in
Illinois High School.
2024 Farm Bureau Ag Scholarship Breakfast
Guest Speaker Scott Betzelberger
Part Three
Betzelberger Talks about Thornridge: The Perfect Season in Black and
White, and living a “charmed life.”
When Betzelberger wrapped up his talk, Martin returned to the podium
to thank everyone for attending and called the end of the morning
event. Guests did linger for a while, speaking with the scholarship
recipients and Betzelberger before heading out to face the rest of
the day.
[Nila Smith] |
