April 2017
Lily Sekaqaptewa, 6, tries to find a certain Lego piece at the Lego Club meeting held monthly at her local Mesa library.
Outstanding Red Mountain senior gets full scholarship to attend Yale this fall By Joe Jacquez
Pearl Harbor veteran takes flight to celebrate 99th birthday By Jena Crum
(Special to Nearby News)
Jacob Payne plans to study sustainability and architecture at Yale.
Red Mountain High School senior Jacob Payne is a devoted learner with a wide range of interests and, in the fall of 2017, he will attend Yale University – without spending a dime. Payne was seated in the middle of his academic decathlon class on Dec. 1 and read an email that changed his life. He received the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship. “I was stunned,” Payne said. “I don’t really have the right wardrobe for the cold weather that I am about to experience. I will have to find some winter clothes.” The program is for highly successful, low-income high school seniors and provides four-year scholarships to
Yale ...continued on page 6
(Special to Nearby News)
Eugene Leonard was treated to a flight in a B-17 bomber.
You’re never too old to try something new. That’s the mantra by which 99-yearold Pearl Harbor veteran Eugene Leonard lives. Leonard flew various aircraft during his time in the Marine Corps and the Air Force, but on March 4, he took off from Falcon Field in the B-17 bomber for the first time to celebrate his 99th birthday, which was the following day. Guy Coulombe, whom Leonard met through the last chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, said he saw a video of a B-29 bomber flying in Arizona and decided to treat Leonard to a birthday ride. “I wanted to do something for Gene,”
Vet ...continued on page 7
The news around our neighborhood! Mailed to homes in Red Mountain Ranch, Mesa Desert Heights, Alta Mesa, Apache Wells and surrounding North Mesa.
NearbyNews
Mailed toYour Home Monthly
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX PERMIT # 1333