The Bill Gianoulias Scholarship was established in 1998 in the honor of Mr. Bill Gianoulias who dedicated more than 30 years of his life to Little League Baseball and Softball in Montana. Bill served as a President as well as District Administrator for Montana District 2. He was instrumental in establishing some of the first Little League Softball programs in the Western United States. His dedication to the youth of Montana has touched the lives of many individuals. He was also essential in the advancement of many Little League Umpires aspiring to work Regional and World Series play. These umpires include current District Administrator Keith Miller, Assistant District Administrator Hal Karl, as well as Mark Beckman, the current Executive Director of the Montana High School Association. Bill retired as the District Administrator of Montana District 2 in 1998, succeeded by Renny Malach of Missoula. Bill passed away in 2013, but his work still has an influence on the Little League programs to this day.
The Bill Gianoulias Scholarship was established in order to recognize and perpetuate his contributions to the community of Great Falls. The scholarship is open to all boys and girls who participated in Little League Baseball or Softball in Great Falls. High school seniors living in Great Falls are eligible to apply for the scholarship no matter what high school he or she attends. Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from his or her Little League Coach and are judged in the following areas: Number of years played in Little League, Sportsmanship, and Leadership - with an emphasis on volunteerism. This year's recipients was Kelsey Hogan.
Hogan is a graduating senior from CM Russell High School in Great Falls. She plans to attend Gillette College in Wyoming on a soccer scholarship. Hogan has given back to her local leagues and her community. The Bill Gianoulias Scholarship aims to recognize not only those Little League graduates that have excelled in their sport, but those that have exemplified the Little League ideals of Character, Sportsmanship, and Leadership off of the field as well....Montana District 2 is proud of the accomplishments of this fine young lady, and we look forward to her future successes. The 2019 scholarship will be awarded later this summer.
The following is a list of current and former winners:
1999 Ben Myers & Amy Kohm
2000 Andrea Albrecht & Jennifer Heintz
2001 Jesse Sidor & Brian Romsa
2002 Christina Wankel & Michelle Reeves
2003 Jenna Reynolds & Alex Ferguson
2004 Jessica Jensen & Bobby Anderson
2005 Paul Gysberg & Genevieve Dupuis
2006 Andrea Boysun & Staci Welgum
2007 Ashley Mahoney & Shaun Tatarka
2008 Dani Lynn Dellla Rossa & Suzie Bartram
2009 Brady Kangas
2010 Ashley Keeler
2011 Jacob Olson & Tyler Meadors
2012 Destin Wassmann
2013 Dalton Cook & Jess Della Rossa
2014 Cole Funseth & Mikaela Kynett
2015 Marina LaRoque & Drew Brennan
2016 Jaclyn Bates
2017 Harrison Faulk
2018 Kelsey Hogan
2019 To be named this summer