DEARBORN – Abbas Alawieh, a senior at Fordson High School, received the second annual Hugh M. Archer Memorial Scholarship presented by the Dearborn Rotary Club.

Rotarian Lee Hollmann, chair of this year’s scholarship selection committee, presented the $2,000 award to Alawieh at the Club’s weekly luncheon meeting.  Among those attending the special presentation were Alawieh’s parents Zouheir Alawieh and Aida Bazzi, his grandfather Kassem Bazzi and Fordson Principal Imad Fadlallah.

Fordson High School Senior Abbas Alawieh, recipient of the Hugh M. Archer Memorial Scholarship, proudly displays his award presented by Archer’s wife Mary Jane and Dearborn Rotarian Lee Hollmann

“Alawieh is a very deserving recipient of this award,” said Hollmann. “He was selected for his academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, community service, numerous honors and awards, and his application of the Rotary 4-Way Test, which serves as a guideline for making decisions.”

The Fordson senior was one of 16 applicants for the scholarship, which is open to students who attend public or private schools within the Dearborn School district boundaries. The entire application process was conducted online via Dearborn Rotary’s web site www.dearbornrotary.org.

The Hugh Archer Memorial Scholarship was established in memory of the longtime Rotarian and Dearborn resident who passed away in 2005 at the age of 91.  Archer was a registered professional engineer whose many achievements included inventor, scientist, entrepreneur, banker, businessman, ham radio operator, sportsman, and humanitarian. He held several leadership positions in Rotary and served as president of Rotary International, the world’s largest service organization with 1.2 million members.

In addition to his Rotary service, Archer was active with the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, Henry Ford Hospital, the Dearborn Schools and many other organizations.  He served as chairman of Spiratex Company, a plastics extrusion company in Romulus, Mich.

Archer’s wife Mary Jane also attended the presentation and commended Alawieh for his efforts, which included 400 hours of community service during his junior year.  Currently, Alawieh volunteers eight hours each Saturday in Oakwood Hospital’s emergency room and was recently notified of his acceptance to the University of Michigan pre-med program.

Established in 1923, the Dearborn Rotary Club is one of more than 31,000 clubs located in 166 countries worldwide.  Rotary is the world’s first and largest international service organization, founded in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, in Chicago, Illinois.  The Dearborn Rotary Club meets every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at Park Place Catering in Dearborn and guests are always welcome.

For more information about the Hugh M. Archer Memorial Scholarship and other programs sponsored by Dearborn Rotary, visit www.dearbornrotary.org.