Crowley awards Thomas B. Crowley Scholarship to exemplary Puerto Rico student

(San Juan, Puerto Rico; Sept. 26, 2008) – Ed Zeno Gonzalez, a Puerto Rican student at Sagrado Corazon University, was named a 2008 Thomas B. Crowley Scholarship recipient.

Gonzalez, 18, was selected based on his exemplary academic record, extra-curricular activities, financial need and his interest in pursuing a degree in the area of business administration.

On Wednesday, Gonzalez visited Crowley’s Isla Grande offices and met with Roberto Lugo, vice president and general manager of Puerto Rico services, who presented his first scholarship check.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to not only recognize students like Ed Zeno Gonzalez, but to encourage academic excellence among Puerto Rico students. Ed’s story is a shining example of how students who work hard can overcome the odds and achieve extraordinary goals,” Lugo said.

An Utuado native, Gonzalez excelled in both academic and extracurricular activities. The Utuado Vocational High School student graduated with a 4.0 GPA, was a charter member of the “Cooperativa Juvenil Bienteveo,” a youth credit union, and worked as volunteer at “El Job in Rio Abajo” of Utuado, a non-profit organization dedicated to eco-tourism in the rural community of El Jobo. Utuado is a mountain city of about 35,000 residents located in the central region of the island, between the Cordillera Central Mountains, just north of Ponce.

Among his accolades, Gonzalez has won first-place in the Puerto Rico Creative Marketing Project contest, which gave him the opportunity to represent the island at the Annual Marketing Convention, held in Atlanta, Georgia. He also won first-place in the 2008 Tenth Student competition for his work titled “Economic Challenge for the Development of Utuado,” which was a familiar award for him, since he had also won first-place in the same competition for his work “Alternate Tourism for the Economic Development of Utuado.” Gonzalez also served as President of the Student Marketing Association at his high school through April 2008.

Gonzalez is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies, with an emphasis in international marketing, psychology and justice systems.

The Crowley Puerto Rico Scholarship Program was established in 1984. For the past 25 consecutive years, Crowley has awarded these funds to a high school graduate from the Puerto Rican Department of Education school system to pursue their academic career. Students awarded the Thomas B. Crowley Scholarship receive $1,500.00 each academic semester until successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree.

In order to be considered for the scholarship, students must meet the following criteria: a record of academic excellence, financial need and an admission acceptance letter from a Puerto Rican institution of higher education. The Puerto Rico Department of Education selects the student, who will receive the scholarship, based on Crowley’s criteria.

Currently, there are five students benefiting from the Crowley Puerto Rico’s scholarship program: Ed Zeno Gonzalez, the 2008 recipient; Cesmarie Perez Miranda; Raquel Berrios Correa; Julissa Pellicier Gonzalez; and Juan X. Berrios Guzman.

Crowley and its predecessor company have been serving the Puerto Rico market since 1954, longer than any other carrier in the trade. The company, with nearly 300 Puerto Rico employees, is also the No. 1 ocean carrier between the island commonwealth and the U.S. mainland with more weekly sailings and more cargo carried annually than any other shipping line.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, founded in San Francisco in 1892, is a privately held family and employee-owned company that provides diversified transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are the following services: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the Internet at www.crowley.com.

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