Contact: Sammy McDavid
Freshman Solana R. Fernandez of Jackson is receiving a Mississippi State University scholarship honoring major league baseball player Rafael Palmeiro.
Named for the former MSU baseball standout, the Palmeiro Scholarship Endowment is providing a four-year award to Fernandez, who plans to seek a career in medicine. A biological engineering major, she is receiving monies each semester for tuition, fees, books, and other educational expenses.
Palmeiro Scholars must be pre-medicine majors in biological sciences, biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, biological engineering, or chemical engineering.
A participant in the University Honors Program, Fernandez is the daughter of Sergio Fernandez and Trudy Cure, both of Jackson. She is a 2003 St. Joseph Catholic High School graduate.
Palmeiro, a Havana, Cuba, native, hit his 500th home run with the Texas Rangers in the 2003 season to become just the 19th player ever to join the 500-homer club. He joins Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs as the only players born outside the United States to reach that milestone. Palmeiro also has won three Gold Gloves at first base and never has been on the disabled list.
An MSU art graduate, Palmeiro joined major league baseball as a first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs. He moved to the Texas Rangers for five seasons, then spent five seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before returning to Texas in 1999. He recently re-signed with the Orioles for the 2004 season.
JACKSON EDITORS: Both of Fernandez's parents reside in Northeast Jackson, ZIP 39211.