The Dr. Joseph J. Hohner Scholarship Committee has awarded $59,200 in scholarships to 38 students for the 2026-2027 school year, with individual awards ranging from $600 to $5,000.

The scholarships support students attending 16 colleges and universities across Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, including Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The Hohner Trust was established in 1976 with an initial gift of $500,000 from the late Dr. Joseph Hohner. Scholarship awards are distributed twice yearly — in September and January, with the January award contingent on completion of first-semester coursework.

The committee includes representatives from Ottawa High School, Marquette Academy, First National Bank, Shaw Media and the Ottawa Masonic Lodge Organization and is charied by Chris Dvorak, superintendent of the La Salle, Marshall, Putnam Regional Office of Education

Applications for the 2027-2028 school year will be available mid-January on the Regional Office of Education website at roe35.org. Past scholarship recipients interested in contributing to the trust can contact the office at 815-434-0780.