The Tuskegee Airmen Inc., in partnership with Pratt & Whitney, has awarded Joshua S. Cunningham of Columbia, South Carolina, the 2006 Golden Eagle Scholarship. The four-year, $20,000 award recognizes a high school senior who has demonstrated an aptitude for aerospace technology and aviation.

Pratt & Whitney will fully fund the scholarship. The Golden Eagle Scholarship is the largest single endowment of the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Fund. Under the terms of the scholarship, Joshua will receive $5,000 each year for four years. He was presented with his award during the Youth Luncheon at the Tuskegee Airmen Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., on Aug. 3, 2006.

"Joshua Cunningham, the 2006 Pratt & Whitney Golden Eagle Scholarship recipient, has demonstrated superior academic achievements and meaningful community involvement; he is determined to focus on career goals that will set him apart from the others," said Jerry Hodges, chairman of the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Fund. "Joshua is an individual who will succeed in any endeavor that he attempts. The Tuskegee Airmen and Pratt & Whitney are fortunate to become partners in the further development of this talented scholar."

Joshua is a graduate of Dreher High School in Columbia, S.C., and a member of the National Honor Society. As a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol, he achieved the highest rank of Cadet Commander of the Columbia Composite Squadron and Company Commander of the Dreher Blue Devil Company in the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp.

"Do the best you can, that's all that is expected. Set your own goals and determine your success. These two quotes are words of wisdom instilled in me by my uncle Johnny Walker, my mom Fredia Cunningham, and my family," said Joshua. He plans to study electrical engineering at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.

Earl Exum, Global Repair Services sales director, presented the scholarship on behalf of Pratt & Whitney. "I was pleased to represent our company's passion for education -- a passion that I share. I know first hand the impact that scholarships have and the options they create for aspiring students," he said. Exum will also serve as Joshua's mentor during his college career.

Joshua has received numerous awards in recognition of his academic and community leadership, including the Marine Corps League Leadership Award, the Stephen Decatur Award, Columbia Composite Distinguished Cadet of the Year, the Billy Mitchell Award, the Amelia Earhart Award, and the Ira C. Eaker Civil Air Patrol Award. Joshua was also a Richland District One High School Scholar and Academic All-Star. His interests reach beyond academics. He volunteers by tutoring children in mathematics, boxing food for the sick, visiting a nursing home to read scriptures and sing, cleaning up for "adopt-a-street", computer education tutoring at church, and training teenage leaders in Civil Air Patrol camps and activities.

FMI: www.tuskegeeairmen.org