New Firelands Endowment Scholarship Awarded!
The Firelands Endowment is proud to announce that a new scholarship was awarded to a deserving student at the FHS Senior Awards Banquet. The 1970 Champions Scholarship was established in 2023 and the first recipient was named at the annual ceremony held at Firelands High School on May 8, 2024.
This scholarship was spearheaded by Dr. W. Joseph Campbell and supported by his teammates and community members. Dr. Campbell’s path led him to a fulfilling career which included 20 years as a professional journalist and a tenured professor at American University in Washington, DC. As a successful published author of seven books, and multiple trips around the globe, he never forgot his love for Firelands and the success of the 1970 basketball team.
It is important to Dr. Campbell to support an outstanding Firelands student-athlete who intends to pursue studies at a four-year college or university in Ohio. During his presentation he stated, “The other goal of the 1970 Champions Scholarship is to help keep alive memories of 1969-70 Firelands basketball team, which was the first in school history to go undefeated in its regular season, the first to score more than 100 points in a single game, the first to win a district tournament championship, the first to advance to the regional finals and the cusp of the state championship tournament. The accolades from this team are large and the camaraderie still runs deep.
The Firelands Endowment Trustees were tasked with choosing a recipient. The decision to declare a winner for this scholarship was difficult. The student’s name was not disclosed during the process and a strong essay and leadership qualities were both taken into consideration for this award. Dr. Campbell introduced the scholarship and had the pleasure of announcing Nathan Draga as the first recipient to receive the 1970 Champions Scholarship. It was disclosed, after the scholarship selection, that Nathan is the great nephew of one of the starters on the 1970 basketball team, Jerry Draga!
After the ceremony, Dr. Campbell, Co-Captain of the 1970 FHS Basketball Team and fellow Co-Captain, Mr. Tim Schrader, were able to speak with Nathan Draga and his family.
Dr. Campbell was recently featured on on C-SPAN’s “Book TV”:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?534413-1/lost-gallup for his latest book, “Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections”.
Thank you to Dr. W. Joseph Campbell, the 1970 FHS Basketball Team and everyone who came together to support this new scholarship! Congratulations, Nathan!
Learn more about the Fireland Endowment here.
Firelands Local Schools Blog 
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