The future of two local high school seniors take off with the Louis Mancuso, Sr. Scholarship established to honor the memory of the founder of Deer Park Airport.

(Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) John Runco a graduating senior from Chaminade High School and Alexander Turpin a Home-schooled, Riverhead High School, graduating senior were the first to receive the Louis Mancuso, Sr. Scholarship Award.  The Louis Mancuso, Sr. Scholarship Fund, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization has been established to honor the memory of Louis Mancuso, Sr. (1919-2008) who founded the Deer Park Airport.   The 2009 recipients share a passion for aviation like that of the late Louis Mancuso, Sr.

The Scholarship Selection Committee and the Board of the Louis Mancuso, Sr. Scholarship Fund chose Runco and Turpin to receive the one-time scholarship of $1,000 because their essays eloquently illustrated their enthusiasm for aviation.   John Runco will be attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a member of the AFROTC where he will embark on his journey to earn an Aeronautical Engineering degree.  Runco’s long term goal is to become a United States Air Force Pilot.  Alexander Turpin enrolled in the BOCES Pre-professional Flight Program when he was sixteen years old.  Turpin will enter Stony Brook University this fall and is planning on a college degree in journalism.  I addition, Alexander hopes to instill the love of flying in others as a flight instructor.  He said, “I feel exhilarated when I pull back the yoke and feel the ground fall away from beneath my feet”.

About the Louis Mancuso, Sr. Scholarship
The Louis Mancuso, Sr. Scholarship Fund has been established to provide two one-time scholarships to Long Island high school seniors who have a passion for aviation and intend on pursing an aviation career or flight training.  Two students from Nassau and/or Suffolk County will each be awarded a one thousand dollar scholarship.  Applicants must be a senior enrolled in high school full-time and have applied and received acceptance to an institution for continuing education (either a two or four year college, university or Part 61 or 141 Flight School).  These scholarships are NOT need based and may be awarded to anyone who applies, based solely on the decision of the Scholarship Selection Committee.

About Louis Mancuso, Sr.
Louis Mancuso, Sr. was a gentleman whose vision played an integral role in the development of Long Island aviation.  He founded Mid Island Air Service, Inc. in 1946 after spending the duration of WWII at Riddle Field in Clewiston, Florida.  After being inducted into the Army Air Corp he worked with the British RAF training British and Scottish soldiers in both the PT-17 and AT-6.  For more information on the life of Louis Mancuso, Sr. please visit www.midislandair.com/LMSF.

Those wishing to make a contribution to the Scholarship Fund can do so online at www.midislandair.com/LMSF/Louis-Mancuso-Sr-Scholarship-Fund.html or by mailing a check to 101 Hering Drive, Ronkonkoma, New York 11779.

Photo: The 2009 recipients, Alexander Turpin (Riverhead HS) [top] and John Runco (Chaminade
HS, Mineola) [bottom].