Pilot to Keynote PHS Scholarship Banquet;

John Schwartz, 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force

by Dennis Gonzales & The Pratt Tribune

April 03, 2008

"Shoot for the Stars" is the theme for the 2008 PHS Scholarship Recognition Banquet. The thirty-fourth annual banquet recognizes students' outstanding academic successes for this year.

This year's speaker, John Schwartz, 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, certainly epitomizes that theme. After a stellar high school career, which included Senior Athlete award and PHS Class of 2000 Valedictorian, he was accepted into the United States Air Force Academy. There, he earned the USAFA Integrity Award, played football all four years, and was selected as Academic All-Conference his senior year. He graduated with a BS in Engineering Mechanics.

Emcee for the evening will be John Keller, also of the Class of 2000. He and Lt. Schwartz have been friends since childhood. He is the son of Bill and Cindy Keller and the grandson of Jud and Bobbie Stanion.

Lt. Schwartz received pilot training at Vance AFB in Enid, Okla., earning honors of Top Stick Award for his Flight in Phase 2 of training as well as the Flight Commander's Award for Phase 3.

Lt. Schwartz currently instructs pilots who will go on to fly a variety of aircraft, including transports and tankers. He has over 1100 rated flying hours in the T-1 aircraft with over 750 of those being instructor hours.

He continues his education by working on a Master's Degree in Aeronautical Sciences from Embry Riddle University.

In addition to his job requirements, Lt. Schwartz is also active in the Enid community. He volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and reads to a 2nd grade class. With others from his base, he helps clean and repair homes for families in need by participating in Christmas in Action.

Lt. Schwartz is the son of Don and Pat Schwartz and the grandson of Mildred Riley.

All students achieving a 3.7 grade point average for the first three nine-weeks receive a scholarship pin. Seniors who have achieved a 3.7 GPA for their first seven semesters receive a thesaurus, and those seniors who achieve a 30 or higher on the ACT have their names added to a plaque that hangs at Pratt High School.

The public is invited to attend and may make reservations for the dinner and awards program by calling Deb Goyen at the People's Bank, 672-5611. Tickets are $11 per person. The deadline is Monday, April 7. The banquet is funded by donations from clubs and individuals.