The Jay A. York Scholarship was established in recognition of the first Minnesotan to head the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Jay York was a prominent figure in rural electric cooperative issues for nearly 30 years. He was elected in 1964 to the Nobles Cooperative Electric (NCE) board. Mr. York was not only well-known for his great leadership ability but also great dignity, a disarming understanding of the issues and an unyielding dedication to his fellow rural Americans.

This year ten cooperatives participated in the scholarship in honor of Jay. They were Connexus Energy, Dakota Electric Association, Federated Rural Electric Association, McLeod Cooperative Power, Nobles Cooperative Electric, Renville-Sibley Cooperative Power Association, Sioux Valley Energy, South Central Electric Association, Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric and Traverse Electric Cooperative, Inc.

From these ten cooperatives, four winners were randomly selected. They were Nils Peterson (Dakota), Brittin Fauskee, (Nobles) Alexandra Revier (Renville-Sibley), and Mavrik TeKrony (Traverse). Each winner receives a $400 scholarship that is made available from the participating cooperatives.