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At the Association’s
annual meeting ANJRPC Regional Vice President and Scholarship Committee
Chair presented two scholarship awards of $1500 each. Here are excerpts
from his remarks.
“It is always a
pleasure to give this report and be honored by presiding over the awards
presentation. Part of that happiness, I believe, comes to me from the
contagious happiness exhibited by the winners and their proud families.
“This year’s
presentation is special in two ways. Though it is the Association’s
sixth year of presenting this award, it marks the first year that both
of our winners are young women and it is the first year of its
designation as the ANJRPC Cal Ellis Memorial Junior Scholarship Awards.
“When I first
proposed the idea of scholarships to the ANJRPC Board of Directors, it
was Cal Ellis who put the idea on a fast track to development. His was
quick to grasp the benefits of this program, in spite of some real and
serious detractors. Cal reacted by encouraging an even greater sum of
scholarship money than originally proposed. That was Cal, a man of works
and a work in progress.
“I often recall how
he once mixed humor and wit when fielding a phone call at his home from
a man critical of the Association’s actions in one of its many
defenses of the Second Amendment. At some point in the conversation, Cal
asked the caller whether he was a member of the Association. When the
man answered ‘no,’ Cal said, ‘Well, we only accept complaints from
members,’ and hung up.
“Born in Belen, New
Mexico, Cal grew up hunting and shooting. He earned a bachelor’s
degree in engineering from Texas Tech in 1947. It was while attending
Texas Tech that he met his future wife, Association Regional Vice
President Lyn Ellis.
“In December of 1943,
Cal’s Army Reserve Unit had been called into active duty and he was
sent to Germany with the Army’s Third Armored Division. He fought at
the Battle of the Bulge and served in Berlin in 1946 and 1947 with the
Armed Services Network.
“Cal Ellis passed
from this world in his sleep on April 29, 2002 while attending the NRA
convention in Reno, Nevada. ‘He was a leader in the fight for
freedom,’ said then NRA Second Vice President Sandra Froman in a
moving tribute. She also recognized Lyn Ellis, Cal’s wife of 55 years,
for ‘fighting right by his side.’
“As chairman of this
committee, it is one of my responsibilities to arrange for the format of
the awards plaques. I must say that the first year of honoring Cal gave
me some trouble. I decided on a quote that captures of the essence of
the time that formed Cal’s principles, and the principles of so many
other young men and women of his day. I chose the quote not only because
it captures the aura of the perilous year in American history in which
it was spoken, but also because of its enduring intensity—an intensity
that transcends time and applies to today’s perilous times for
firearms owners. I believe this intensity is also shared by the people
who have made the effort to attend this meeting today. I hope Cal’s
spirit approves.”
We too, born in
freedom, and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain
freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather
die on our feet than live on our knees.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Cal’s Commander in Chief
June 19, 1941"
The
recipients of this year’s scholarships:
Sarah E. Quinn,
daughter of Ann and Christopher Quinn of Somerset. 2003 graduate of
Franklin High School: In her eight years participating as a junior
shooter, Sarah has achieved these classifications in the following
disciplines: Expert – Outdoor Prone, Expert – Indoor Prone, Expert
– Outdoor 3-Position, Expert – International Outdoor Prone, Expert
– International 3-Position Outdoor, Expert – 3-Position Indoor.
In 1999 at the American Legion Championship at the Olympic Training
Center she placed 7th and was Regional Champion. At the 2000 USA
Shooting National Championships in Atlanta, she won 3rd Place B Class.
At the 2003 American Legion Championships she was Regional Champion.
Sarah is attending the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Tiffany Tarr,
daughter of Ann and Val Tarr of Parlin. A 2003 graduate of Sayreville
Memorial High School, Tiffany’s junior competitive shooting career
spans two years. It has been marked by the achievements of a wholesome
competitive spirit and good-willed camaraderie. She has been shooting
with her father and brother since she was eight, and hunting upland game
with them and the family’s German short hair pointer since attaining
her New Jersey hunting license at age 10. Tiffany is attending Montclair
State University.
Thank
you to scholarship contributors
This annual competition is open to any New Jersey high school senior
with verifiable plans to further his or her education. Application forms
for the Year 2004 Awards Competition are available by clicking here. The application deadline is August 31, 2004. All submitted
applications are color coded to maintain anonymity. Selection of winners
is made by committee.
The Association
gratefully acknowledges all of the contributors to the Cal Ellis
Memorial Scholarship Fund, as well as to the NRA Foundation. Without
their help these young achievers could not be so generously recognized.
2004
Scholarship Award Application
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