Timken scholarships presented

Four area students received $10,000 scholarships from Timken Co., as the company presented annual awards on Thursday. Sidney Long admitted to being at a loss for words. “It’s so unbelievable to be standing up here right now,” she told the crowd gathered in a Timken Co. conference room and watching on a webcast to six other countries. Long, a senior at Buckeye Central High School in Crawford County, received the $35,000 Henry Timken Scholarship, which is renewable for up to four years and a total of $140,000. It is the top award among scholarships presented to the children of Timken employees. The Timken Company Charitable and Educational Fund funds the scholarships. Since its founding in 1958, the program has awarded more than $22 million in scholarships. Four of the 17 scholarships awarded Thursday went to high school students from Stark County. The company presented scholarships to children of employees at 11 locations in seven countries. Recipients had “achieved significant academic success, participated in school and community activities, and demonstrated leadership ability,” board Chairman John M. Timken Jr. said. ‘HUMBLING’ Long, her parents and grandparents made the two-hour drive from near Chatsfield to attend the program. Michael Long, Sidney’s father, is a machine operator in cone manufacturing at Timken’s bearing plant in Bucyrus and has 25 years with the company. The family knew that Sidney was among the scholarship recipients but didn’t know until the end of Thursday’s program that she would receive the top award. “It’s humbling enough coming here,” she said after the program. The scholarship will help Long — who has horses and has raised chickens, pigs and other animals — study pre-veterinary medicine. She is considering attending Ohio State or Kent State. The second-largest scholarship, the $25,000 Jack Timken Scholar Award was presented to Simona, the daughter of Ram Narayan Prasad, lead production operator technician in the company’s bearing plant in Jamshedpur, India. The award is renewable for up to three years for a total of $100,000. After graduating from Loyola School in Jamshedpur, India, Simona plans to study design and architecture at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai. LOCAL RECIPIENTS Students from Hoover, Jackson and Lake high schools received $10,000 awards. Joanne Ash, daughter of Colleen Ash, general manager of human resources and global compensation, is a senior at Lake. Ash plans to study biomedical engineering and pre-dentistry, and is considering several schools. Jenna Berg, a Jackson senior, plans to study physical therapy at Ohio State. She became interested in physical therapy after suffering a knee injury in cross country. Both of her parents work at Timken; Brian is manager of upstream marketing, and Patricia is a senior application metallurgy technician. Willis Elkins, son of Gina Elkins, a product analytics specialist, is senior at Hoover. He has been interested in flight since visiting the Air Force Museum as a child and plans to study aerospace engineering at St. Louis University. Willis Elkins, a senior at Hoover High School in North Canton, talks with Ward J. "Jack" Timken after the Timken Global Scholar Announcement Ceremony on Thursday.