Brief from the Chairman of the Board
Spring 2025
Aloha Tailhookers,,
Your Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) welcomes you all to summer 2025. The Tailhook Association (THA) and TEF staffs, along with our respective boards of directors, are in final preparations for another blockbuster Tailhook Symposium at the Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) in Reno. As you may have heard, last year’s Hook debut at the GSR was remarkable and word of this is out across the flight lines. Hook 2025 is shaping up to at least match or even surpass last year’s record attendance, top‐shelf exhibition floor, gripping panel sessions and enjoyable social events.
Each year, TEF’s remarks in the summer edition of The Hook magazine summarize our yearly scholarship selection processes and results. Annually, from approximately 15 December to approximately 15 February, the sharpest Naval Aviation legacy students work rigorously to provide their very best scholarship applications to TEF. In 2025, our scholarship committee reviewed and scored nearly 400 applications. From these applicants, 140 students earned TEF grants, half of the recipients graduating high school seniors, and the other half current college students. Four of those recipients were Gold Star students and three were enlisted applicants. TEF 2025 scholarship grants will average over $4,350 per grant with our top high school senior receiving a $20,000 grant and two grants awarded at the $15,000 level, one to a high school senior and the other to a student who is already attending college. The table below provides a more precise breakout of TEF’s 2025 grants valued at more than $3,500.
This year, a total of 95 of our 140 awardees earned a grant worth $3,500 or more. This is 42 more grants awarded at this level than last year. The main reason for this increase in high‐value grants was planned-giving. Last spring, TEF received an exceptionally generous planned gift from a long‐standing Tailhook Life member and TEF supporter’s estate trust. This single planned gift empowered TEF to award all 76 of our current perennial scholarships at $3,500 or more. Mahalo Nui Loa (thank you very much) to those of you who have listed TEF as a beneficiary in your estate trust or on your insurance policy. These generous gifts are game changers for our foundation. If you have any questions about how to join our list of planned givers, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We also need to recognize the most important part of our scholarship program — our hardworking application screener team*. These 14 individuals spent scores of hours reviewing, scoring, and ranking our high school senior and college applicants. We would like to take this opportunity to pass our sincere gratitude to these volunteers. When you see them at Hook 2025 or before, please thank them as well.
Finally, as we remind you at every opportunity, without the charitable backing from our like‐minded organizational and industry partners and particularly our Tailhook members and supporters, TEF’s scholarship program could not exist. On behalf of our TEF chairman of the board, directors, and staff, and especially our Naval Aviation legacy scholar‐ athletes and servant leaders who earn a TEF grant each year, we deeply thank you for your steadfast support to our foundation.
We look forward to reconnecting with you all at Hook 2025. Please stop by and see us at the TEF booth just past the entrance to the convention floor at the GSR. Thank you again for your continued benevolent support to TEF and THA.
* 2025 TEF Scholarship Application Screeners
CAPT Tracy Barkhimer, USN(Ret) CAPT Beth “Gabby” Creighton, USN(Ret) Mrs. Helen Jbeily
CDR Melanie “Mel” Palmer, USN(Ret) CDR Steve Queen, USN(Ret)
Mrs. Dee Queen
CAPT Scott “High School” Sanwick, USN(Ret) Mrs. Gwen Sanwick
CAPT Jack “Damien” Schuller, USN(Ret) CAPT Ash Schwarz, USN(Ret)
Mrs. Marta Tanaka
CAPT Rodger Welch, USN(Ret)
Alternate Screeners
CDR Greg “Shifty” Peairs, USN(Ret) CAPT Bob “Rooter” Rutherford, USN(Ret)
CAPT Rodger Welch, USN(Ret)
Executive Director
Tailhook Educational Foundation
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About The TEF
The Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) is a charitable nonprofit California corporation created in February 1992. The Foundation's charter is "to educate the nation's public with regard to the history and present day activities of the United States Navy carrier aviation and its importance to our country's national security."
The main activities of the Foundation are:
To support the Tailhook Association
To distribute The Hook magazine to schools throughout the nation at no cost to the schools
To provide scholarships to qualified applicants
To support U.S Navy and Naval Aviation leadership
TEF Scholarships
TEF awards over 100 scholarships annually averaging more than $4,000 per grant with our top grant awarded at $20,000
Funding TEF scholarships is achieved either annually or perennially.
Perennial Scholarships
A perennial scholarship is funded by donating $70,000 or more to TEF. A $70,000 TEF Scholarship portfolio yields a $3,500 grant for your named scholarship per year in perpetuity.
An $80,000 TEF Scholarship portfolio yields a $4,000 grant for your named scholarship per year in perpetuity. Several of TEF’s perennial scholarship portfolios now exceed $100,000, all yielding at least $5,000 in an annual grant.
Sponsors funding perennial scholarships should also add funds to their portfolio whenever they can to ensure these portfolios continue to grow to keep pace with the increasing costs of colleges (1%~2% per year). When donations to existing perennial portfolios reach $10,000 or more, the annual grant yield for that scholarship increases $500 per year from that year on.
Annual Pass-through scholarships
An annual or “pass-through” scholarship is funded by providing TEF a payment of $3,000 or more each year to sponsor your named scholarship that year.
Pass through scholarship donations can also be for more than $3,000, and they can change each year by donating more than $3,000.
TEF’s current annual scholarships average more than $3,000 with our top grant awarded at $15,000.
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Gold Star Scholarships
TEF has a special interest in our Gold Star applicants. We will award Gold Star scholarships to Naval Aviation legacy students who lost their TEF eligible sponsor parent while they were still serving on active-duty.
These scholarships are not awarded based on merit; all qualified Gold Star students will receive an annual grant each year they apply.
Proof of sponsorship is the parent-sponsor's
CASREP, OBIT (etc.). TEF will award Gold Star grants for up to four years to qualified undergraduate students at an accredited college or university. Gold Star scholarships are only available to those students whose parent-sponsor passed away while still on active-duty, not their grandparent-sponsor.
Enlisted scholarships
Current or former Naval Aviation (USN, USMC, USCG) enlisted personnel who earned their Aircrew wings or who served on a US Navy aircraft carrier in ship's company or in an embarked staff are themselves eligible to apply for a TEF Enlisted scholarship. These scholarships are merit-based and competitive, however TEF has found most qualified current, or former enlisted TEF scholarship applicants who apply will earn a scholarship based on their Naval Aviation related enlisted service to our nation. Since these enlisted personnel are also qualified as eligible TEF scholarship sponsors, their children and grandchildren may also apply for TEF scholarships, but they need to fill out and submit TEF's graduating High school senior or current college student applications, not the enlisted applications.
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TEF awards over 120 scholarships annually averaging more than $4,000 per grant with our top grant awarded at $20,000.
A number of our annual scholarships are awarded to students pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum.
All TEF grants assist Naval Aviation legacy undergraduate students obtain a higher education.
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Scholarship Eligibility
To qualify for a Tailhook Educational Foundation scholarship, an individual must graduate from high school and be the natural, step, or adopted child or grandchild of a current or former (U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps / U.S. Coast Guard) Naval Aviator, Naval Flight Officer, or Naval Aircrewman. Also eligible are individuals or children/grandchildren of individuals who are serving or have served on board a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier. Eligible applicants must also be accepted for undergraduate enrollment at an accredited college.
Applications are available at 1200 NOON PT on 16 December 2024 through Monday, 1200 NOON PT 17 February 2025
Scholarship Timeline
