PHOENIX (May 16, 2011) -“ AmSafe® Industries, Inc. today unveiled a new scholarship program at the Team America Rocketry Challenge (-œTARC-) in the Plains, Virginia. TARC, a student competition to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics, is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association or Rocketry.
Established in the honor of Brendan M. Kutler, who suddenly and unexpectedly died in his sleep on December 29, 2009, at the age of seventeen, the $5,000 annual, four-year scholarship will be open to all students who participate in the TARC competition during their Junior or Senior years of high school.
Introducing the new scholarship to the students and parents in attendance at the TARC Finals was Terence W. Lyons, CEO of AmSafe Industries Inc., a manufacturer of aviation safety products and a member of the Aerospace Industries Association.
In announcing the scholarship, which will be awarded annually beginning with the 2012-13 academic year, Mr. Lyons remarked: -œWe are establishing this scholarship in the honor of Brendan Kutler, who, along with his teammates from Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles competed in TARC in 2008, reaching the Finals and placing 13th in the nation overall. Rocketry was just one of Brendan’s many diverse interests. Brendan was an extraordinary young man who found ways to connect with people all over the globe. With grace and humility, Brendan strived to use his talents to support others and to make the world a better place. It is in this spirit and in his honor and memory that we have established this scholarship. In an era wher more often than not we hear about what is wrong with our upcoming generation, Brendan was a shining example of what is good in so many of today’s young people. Through this scholarship, we hope to identify other young men and women with similar traits, values and aspirations and to help them, through education, to make a positive impact as tomorrow’s leaders.-