Brief from the Chairman of the Board
Fall 2024
Fellow Tailhookers and Friends,
Let me start by introducing myself as the new chairman of the Tailhook Educational Foundation (TEF) Board of Directors. I am honored to serve and want to express my appreciation to the board for their confidence in me. I also want to thank RDML J.J. Quinn, USN(Ret) for his 10 years of exceptional service as the chairman and congratulate him on the TEF Lifetime Achievement Award he garnered at Hook ’24. J.J., along with the board members and TEF Executive Director CAPT Rodger Welch, USN(Ret), have steadily improved our foundation and made it the world‐class organization it is today.
For those who do not know me, I am an East Coast A‐7 and FA‐18 guy with command tours in VFA‐15, USS Coronado (AGF 11), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Carrier Strike Group One and AIRLANT. My last billet was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare and Director of Naval Intelligence. I am a Life member of the Tailhook Association (THA), and I look forward to helping the TEF team continue moving forward supporting our Naval Aviation legacy awardees in achieving their education goals.
We just completed the most successful Hook symposium in history at our new venue, the Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) in Reno. The numbers for registrants, exhibitors, Bug Roach Mixer attendees and flag officer participants (including three four‐stars) broke all records. The panel sessions, headlined by RADM Marc “Stem” Miguez and the Red Sea warriors of the Eisenhower Strike Group, were inspiring. The owners of the GSR, the Meruelo family, could not have been more supportive and the entire hotel staff met our every need with a “can‐do” and a smile. We appreciate all the Meruelo family’s efforts and their generous $200,000 donation to TEF. Huge thanks again go to THA President CAPT(sel) Kristin “Dragon” Findlay and Executive Director and Reunion Coordinator CAPT Greg “Chaser” Keithley, USN(Ret). We would also like to thank THA Chairman of the Board RADM Mike “Nasty” Manazir, USN(Ret), the THA and TEF boards of directors and officers and the rest of our THA staff for the vital roles they played in accomplishing Hook ’24.
I want to especially thank VADM Kevin “Kid” Donegan, USN(Ret) for spearheading fundraising for the ADM Leighton “Snuffy” Smith scholarship. We are nearing $200,000 in donations for Sir Snuffy’s perennial and we were excited to host and honor ADM Smith’s widow Dottie, and daughters Page and DeeDee at the symposium. Starting in 2025, Sir Snuffy’s scholarship will yield an annual grant of at least $10,000 to a deserving Naval Aviation legacy student.
This has been a banner year for TEF with the awarding of 143 grants to 136 students totaling $533,000. To see what kind of students earn these scholarships, please visit our 2024 awardee web pages at https://www.tailhook.net/2024. Also, to see what these superstars are doing, please check the 2024 student‐ awardee video testimonials at https:// www.tailhook.net/tef. To learn more about your wingmen, shipmates and industry/organizational partners who make up TEF’s loyal supporters, please look at the TEF 2024 donor pages at https://www.tailhook.net/2024-donors.
Our goal is to continue to grow and to increase our grants as the cost of higher education continues to mount. We appreciate everyone’s generosity in helping us meet that goal. Ways to donate can be found by clicking “Donate Now” on TEF’s web page. One way to contribute that is growing in popularity is scanning the QR code in this article or on our website. Finally, a long‐lasting way to support our foundation is to create a planned gift naming TEF as a beneficiary. If you are interested in this or have any questions about planned giving options, please do not hesitate to contact us.
THA and TEF are working together to support you and to keep our Naval Aviation heritage alive and vibrant. Thank you all again for your continued encouragement, confidence, and constant support
of Tailhook. We look forward to seeing you all in Reno next 21–23 August at the GSR for Hook ’25.
VADM Ted “Twig” Branch, USN(Ret),
Chairman of the Board
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 $15,000
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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TEF awards over 100 scholarships annually averaging more than $3,250 per grant with our top grant awarded at $15,000.
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
