Recent Class of 2019 Lucerne Valley High School graduate Rebekah Hart was one of 11 area high school graduates to be formally presented with $4,000 scholarships from the Don Ferrarese Charitable Foundation on June 1 at the Holiday Inn in Victorville.
Hart, who will attend Victor Valley Community College, was among the top 10 highest grade point averages in her graduating class.
At the LVHS Student Scholarship event in May, Hart also won scholarships from the Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Education Foundation, the Lucerne Valley Roadrunners, Lucerne Valley Chamber of Commerce, First Foundation Bank, Marlene Fuller Family, Diane Holland and Jean Morgan, Jerry Byars/Security Storage, Chuck Bell (In Memory of Julia Bell), Lucerne Valley Youth Program and the Morosco Family.
Don Ferrarese, 89, is a longtime Apple Valley resident who played professional baseball as a pitcher for 18 years in the late 1940s through the early 1960s. During his time as a pitcher, he struck out Mickey Mantle, appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and shared a hitting record with Babe Ruth.
After retiring from the major leagues, he opened Hugo’s Italian deli followed by Ferrarese’s restaurant.
Ferrarese then founded the Don Ferrarese Charitable Foundation, which for many years has provided generous scholarships to qualifying college-bound High Desert high school seniors.