The Ohio Council 8 Executive Board is pleased to announce that applications for the 2010 AFSCME Ohio Council 8 Scholarships are now available.

This year’s scholarships are named in honor of Ohio Council 8 leaders Sol Marble and Eva Burris.

Cincinnati union leader Sol Marble had three AFSCME leadership careers spanning more than 40 years.

His first AFSCME career began when he became a City of Cincinnati park district employee in 1958 and joined AFSCME Local 250, which has represented city workers since 1954. Marble helped build the union at every level rising through the ranks to become AFSCME Local 250 President.   

In addition, Marble was president of Council 51, representing Southeastern Ohio public employees prior to the formation of Council 8.  With the formation of Council 8 in 1978, Marble served as Council 8's first First Vice President.

From 1979 until retiring in 1985, Marble was the AFSCME Care Plan office manager in the Cincinnati region.  After retiring, he was one a core group of 100 retired public employees who organized AFSCME Ohio Retiree Chapter 1184, which represents Ohio Council 8, OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11, and OAPSE/AFSCME Local 4 retirees.

In 1998 Marble stepped down as leader of Retiree Chapter 1184 after 10 years of service as the organization’s first president.  He died in 2002.

Starting in 1987, Eva Burris served in Ohio Council 8's Youngstown Region as a staff representative.  In 1992, she was appointed Regional Director, a post she held until 2000, when she left AFSCME.  She also served as Vice President of the Greater Youngstown AFL-CIO and was Labor Chair of the Mahoning Valley Labor management Citizens Committee.

Burris went on to serve as Court Administrator of the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Division.  She retired from the court in 2005.

In 2008, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray appointed Burris as his representative on the Ohio Public Employee Retirement System Board of Trustees.
Burris lives in Youngstown and is still active in her community.

Ohio Council 8 provides a men’s and women’s scholarship for a son and a daughter of an Ohio Council 8 member.  To be eligible for the four-year grants of $2,500 per year, an applicant must be a high school senior graduating in 2010, and be accepted at a four-year accredited college or university as a full-time student.

Parents must complete the verification of union membership, and be a member in good standing for at least one year prior to May 3, 2010.  Students must fill out the official scholarship application form, provide the requested high school academic records, and compose two, 500-word essays on, “What AFSCME Means To My Family,” and their reasons for pursuing a college degree.

Click here to downloaded the official application form.

Ohio Council 8 First Vice President Harold Mitchell, chairman of the scholarship committee, said, “Higher education is vital if we are to rebuild Ohio’s economy.  But students entering college today need significant financial assistance to pursue their higher education goals.  We strongly encourage every eligible student to apply for these scholarships,” he said.

Mitchell, chairperson of the executive board committee that reviews the scholarship applications, stressed that all applications must be postmarked no later than Monday, May 3, 2010.  In addition, it is suggested to ensure verified delivery to Ohio Council 8, mail the application with a return receipt request. 

The AFSCME Ohio Council 8 Scholarship Program was created in 1982.  In addition to Mitchell, the Scholarship Committee includes Cleveland Regional Vice President Julie Albers, Council 8 Trustee Kimberly Gaines, and Columbus Regional Vice President Peg Mclain