Scholarship honors Hastings; Business Ed Foundation to name $1,000 prize for late former president

LYNN-Less than six months since his unexpected death, the Lynn Business Education Foundation is looking to establish a scholarship in the name of former president Robert Hastings.Current LBEF President Gayle Thomas said this month that efforts are underway to establish a $1,000 scholarship in Hasting’s name to be awarded to one high school graduating senior from any high school, public or private, in Lynn.The details of the award have not been finalized, but it is possible that the scholarship would be presented to a student who plans on studying writing, journalism and public relations – all fields that were important to Hastings, a former Item reporter and editor.”We knew we wanted to do something after Bob’s unexpected and untimely death last May,” said LBEF board member Frederick Cole. “We are still trying to work out the details, so that will come in the future.”Cole said they are hoping to invite Hasting’s brother, Gene, who is a member of the Lynn Rotary Club, to present the scholarship when it is awarded this spring.Hastings passed away a week short of his 71st birthday in May, following a fall at his Marblehead home. The Salem native worked for many years at the Item as a reporter and editor, before leaving in 1984 to open his own private publishing company.Later in life he led the LBEF as president and served as president and later secretary of the Lynn Rotary.The Rotary has also honored Hastings in the form of a scholarship, renaming one of its two annual $3,000 scholarships in Hastings’ memory. The Rotary also changed the name of a second scholarship to honor former member Tom Maloney.The new scholarship is one of two new efforts put forth by the LBEF for Lynn students this year; the second is a bit more complicated and is no sure thing.The foundation is hoping to set up a fund that would work with local banks and credit companies to solicit donations from new property owners, via a question on their real-estate bill.The question would simply ask if the property owner would like to donate to a scholarship for high school students in Lynn. If that person checks the “yes” box, they can chose how much they would like to add to that real estate bill to be donated directly to the scholarship fund.”What they would do is just check the box and donate whatever amount they chose,” said Thomas. “The donation would go to help the students in the city of Lynn, which is sorely needed.”