David Blanton (left), father of the late Trooper Shawn Blanton, poses with this year’s winning team at the 8th Annual Trooper Shawn Blanton Scholarship Golf Tournament which includes Jim Owle, Tommy Bradley, and Terrance Taylor. (AMBLE SMOKER/One Feather)
The 8th Annual Trooper Shawn Blanton Scholarship Golf Tournament was held at the Sequoyah National Golf Club on Friday, June 12. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Trooper Shawn Blanton Scholarship Fund which awards female athletes who are members of their high school softball team.
This year’s recipients received a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice and included: Callie Kuyendall from Pisgah, Jadrian Penland from Hayesville, Katie Fortner from Smoky Mountain, Kaylee Corbin from Franklin, Ellie Caldwell from North Henderson, Jordan Harris from Enka, and Tara Raper from Hiwassee Dam.
The annual golf tournament was first set up in 2008 as a way to honor the late Trooper Shawn Blanton, the first EBCI tribal member to serve as a North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper. To date, the scholarship fund has raised nearly $49,000 for female student athletes.
– One Feather staff report
