Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
Law, undergraduate and graduate students throughout the state will again have an opportunity to more easily fund their higher education pursuits through four yearly scholarships provided by the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey (CPANJ).
Student hopefuls looking to take advantage of the Oscar W. Rittenhouse, Andrew K. Ruotolo, Jr., Harris Y. Cotton and John H. Stamler Memorial Scholarships have until Sept. 15 send in their applications.
All applicants must demonstrate a financial need and meet a number of criteria. Applicants will be notified of the committees decision by October.
Applications can be obtained by contacting Terri Eide at 609-989-6309 or via e-mail at [email protected]. They can also be found at mercercountyprosecutor.com.
The County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey Committee is a non-profit corporation that awards the four scholarships, each valued at $3,500 each, on a yearly basis. The scholarship funds are paid directly to the winner and previous recipients are not allowed to enter.
According to the CPANJ, the Oscar W. Rittenhouse Memorial Scholarship is only available for New Jersey residents who have recently been accepted into law school, has an interest in pursuing a career as a prosecutor and can demonstrate a financial need.
Rittenhouse was named by Governor Brendan Byrne to serve as Hunterdon County’s first full-time prosecutor in 1975 after spending most of his professional year as a lawyer.
Four years later in 1979, while on his way home from a presentation on juvenile delinquency prevention at a meeting of the National District Attorneys Association in Biloxi, Miss., Rittenhouse died in an airplane accident at 48 years old.
The Andrew K. Ruotolo, Jr. Scholarship is annually awarded to a New Jersey resident accepted for admission to a law school or graduate school. According to officials, the applicant must “exhibit an interest in, and commitment to, enhancing the rights and well-being of children through child advocacy programs.”
Ruotolo, Jr. joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1981, where he worked in the criminal division until he worked in a private practice in Mountainside, specializing in criminal and civil litigation.
In 1991, Ruotolo, Jr. was sworn in as the prosecutor of Union County. Within four years, he implemented a number of initiatives, including the Anti-Buas Unit, the Human Relations Commission and the county’s fire full-time Domestic Violence Unit. He is also credited for helping to create the Essex-Union Auto Theft Task Force.
Ruotolo died at 42 following a battle with cancer.
The Harris Y. Cotton Scholarship is available to New Jersey residents who have been accepted into law school, must be interested in pursuing a career as a prosecutor with an emphasis in domestic violence or hate crime prosecutions.
Following a military career that saw him fighting in the Korean War, Cotton enrolled in Rutgers University Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1958.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Cotton eventually served a five-year term as the Gloucester County Prosecutor from 1975 to 1980 when it was still a part-time position and 1991-1997 when it was full-time. During his time there, Cotton bolstered the Domestic Violence Unit and the Hate Crimes Unit of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office.
Cotton died at the age of 68, just 40 minutes before his second term officially ended.
The John H. Stamler Memorial Scholarship is available to New Jersey residents who are currently serving as sworn law enforcement officers looking to advance their education at a college or graduate level. The goal in that endeavor, officials said, was to improve their effectiveness as a law enforcement officer.
John H. Stamler was the first prosecutor in New Jersey to ever be appointed to three consecutive terms. He was appointed by Governor Brendan Byrne in 1977 and reappointed by Governor Thomas Kean in 1982 and 1988.
During that time, Stamler was also chosen to be the President of the County Prosecutors Association from 1983 to 1984 and again from 1989 to 1990.
