Recipients named for 2021 Steve Niswonger Memorial Scholarship

Two area men have been awarded scholarships to pay for firefighting training.

Adam Horton of Chaffee, Missouri, and Adam Hilse of Jackson are the recipients of the 2021 Battalion Chief Steve Niswonger Annual Memorial Scholarship, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

The scholarship, which aids the recipients in completing Firefighter I and Firefighter II classes with the fire department beginning in 2021, was established through a partnership with Shirley Niswonger, Steve Niswonger’s widow, and members of the department in recognition of “outstanding dedication and contributions made by (Steve) Niswonger during his career,” the release stated. Steve Niswonger retired in 2011 after serving the City of Cape Girardeau for more than 33 years; he died in April 2013.

Applicants must complete a process and submit an essay on why they want to be a firefighter in order to receive the full scholarship, according to the release. A committee, comprised of Shirley Niswonger, staff and Cape Girardeau firefighters, choose the scholarship’s recipients based on who “best embodies (Steve) Niswonger’s characteristics.”