What started 37 years ago as a senior golf tournament has grown into a scholarship program that helps Montezuma County students pursue a higher education.
When it began in 1988, about 45 golfers came out to play and one student was awarded a modest prize of $250.
This year, the Dean Hanson Memorial Golf Tournament raised enough money to award 13 students $1,000 scholarships.
“The kids really, really appreciate it,” said Denise Unrein, association executive director of the Four Corners Board of Realtors, which sponsored the event. “We get some really good kids through here.”
After a lunch of spaghetti and salad at the Elks Club in Cortez on May 12, students took turns accepting their awards and talking about their next steps.
One plans to go to the University of Colorado Boulder to study theater. One will go to Lakewood’s Colorado Christian University, and another to Utah State University to study aviation management. One will pursue marine biology in Florida and yet another is off to the University of Wyoming for prelaw courses.
Breezy Obletz-Kingery, board president of the Four Corners Board of Realtors, explained how the September golf tournament raises the scholarship money each year. Local businesses, the community and Realtors sponsor the golf holes, said Obletz-Kingery, and that money bolsters the scholarship fund.
After students apply, there’s a sort of rubric they follow to choose scholarship winners. Things like financial need, grades, community involvement and extracurricular activities, like sports, are all considered.
“It’s great, it makes you feel good,” Unrein said. “They so appreciate it.”
As the event wrapped up, members of the Four Corners Board of Realtors drew names from a hat, awarding more prizes of gift cards, tote bags and even a leather briefcase.
“Enjoy college,” said Carol Click, the scholarship’s committee chair. “And remember, you can apply for the scholarship next year.”
Any student from Montezuma or Dolores county can apply multiple times to ease the financial burden of college, even if they’re in college now.
“All right, we better get you guys back to school, I guess,” said Click, concluding the event.
The 13 students who received 2025 Dean Hanson Memorial Scholarships were:
Sign up for email headline alerts:
Choose from several print and digital subscription packages
© 2025 The Journal | Ballantine Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to our policies
Name:
Screen name:
Email:
