ARTBA scholarships honor fallen workers

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s (ARTBA-TDF) “Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship” fund is giving post-high school financial assistance for the 2023-24 school year to five children of highway workers killed or permanently disabled on the job.

Now in its 24th year, the program was established with a gift from two Roanoke, Virginia, highway contractors and their companies—Stan Lanford (1999 ARTBA chairman) of Lanford Brothers, and Jack Lanford (1991 ARTBA chairman), with Adams Construction Company.

More than 200 scholarships have been awarded to worthy students from 33 states to pursue undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as technical training. Scholarships have a value of up to $10,000 annually.

The 2023 class includes:

• Amy McNeil, Lumberton, Texas. Amy’s father, Jeffrey McNeil, was killed in 2005 while working for the Texas Department of Transportation. Amy is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas, Arlington.
• Katie Hutt, Cleveland, Tennennesee. Katie’s father, Chris, was struck and killed in 2006 by a passenger vehicle while installing signage for United Rentals in a highway work zone. Katie will be a junior studying architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
• Jenna Jares, West, Texas. Jenna’s father, Gregory Jares, was killed in 2001 while working for the Texas Department of Transportation special crews. Jenna is a graduate student studying occupational therapy at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.
• Breana Jones, Gaston, South Carolina. Breana’s father, Standra Jones, Sr., died in 2007 after being struck by a vehicle while at work for the South Carolina Department of Transportation. Breana will be entering her sophomore year at Winthrop University studying graphic design.
• Joann Jones, Bluffton, Indiana. Joann’s father, Dale, was struck and killed in 2009 while working for the City of Anderson Street Department. Joann will be a senior studying biology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.