2015 Officer David White Scholarship Awarded to Katherine Goschey

Posted May 14, 2015 11:00 pm

Sue Omanson, Naperville Park District

The 2015 Officer David White Scholarship was awarded to Katherine Goschey, daughter of Park Police Officer Jim Goschey. Park Police Chief Carl Schnibben presented the award to Ms. Goschey at the annual Citizens Appreciate Public Safety (CAPS) dinner on Thursday evening, May 14.

The scholarship honors the compassionate public service demonstrated by Naperville Park Police Officer David White, whose actions helped save a young man's life in 2006.

"Katherine Goschey clearly models the attitude of service and concern for others that this award stands for," stated Chief Schnibben.

The $2,000 scholarship is open to an individual age 25 and under who either is a son or daughter of an active duty Naperville police officer, park police officer, or firefighter or someone who is serving in one of these roles themselves. Naperville Police Explorers and Naperville Fire Explorers also are eligible.

Funded by an anonymous donor for a period of ten years, the scholarship is now in its ninth year. Several past scholarship recipients were able to attend the CAPS dinner and were recognized along with this year's winner. Those in attendance were Tim Thorpe (2010 award), Jamie Goschey (2011 award), and Anthony Wistocki (2014 award).

Several of the past recipients who were not able to attend the CAPS awards dinner wrote to the Park District about the impact of the scholarship on their lives and careers. Dan Montanari, the 2008 scholarship winner, is now a police officer for the Downers Grove Police Department. He expressed his appreciation for the scholarship and its emphasis on the value of public service. "I've been able to participate in volunteer mentoring programs at local schools throughout the course of my employment," he said. "It is great that this scholarship recognizes the good work that the majority of police officers do every day."

Anthony Wistocki echoed these thoughts: "Winning the Officer David White Scholarship has influenced me because it shows that it takes a certain person to acknowledge the duty to act in a person's time of need. This is what the first responder community is all about."

The list of scholarship winners from 2007-2015 is as follows:

2007 - Brin McAnally

2008 - Daniel Montanari

2009 - Jessica Guerrieri

2010 - Tim Thorpe

2011 - Jamie Goschey

2012 - Ernest Knight

2013 - Ryan Maher

2014 - Anthony Wistocki

2015 - Katherine Goschey

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