JACKSON, MI (WTVB) – Two men training to become utility line workers are the first recipients of a scholarship from the Consumers Energy Foundation which honors a lineman from Bronson who died in June 2012.
Jeffrey Creel was killed when he was struck by a passing vehicle while he investigated a downed power line near Jonesville.
The scholarship program which honors him was announced in June 2015 and is in conjunction with Lansing Community College, Alpena Community College, the Michigan State Utility Workers Council and Consumers Energy.
The first recipients are Nick Lawless from Lansing Community College and Brock LaVergne from Alpena Community College.
Creel’s death also resulted in an increased effort by his friends, family, Consumers Energy and other utility companies to educate drivers about roadside worker safety, emphasizing the phrase “slow down and go around.”
Students must be actively enrolled and in good academic standing in the Utility Line Worker Program at LCC or the ACC Utility Technology Program. Candidates must have successfully completed all requirements and be selected for enrollment into the 10-week courses delivered at Consumers Energy’s training facility in Marshall. Details of the coursework, schedule and application process are available on the LCC and ACC websites.
Each college will select one recipient, who will receive a onetime $2,500 payment toward their educational expenses.
