JACKSON CENTER — The Jackson Center Educational Foundation will have its 17th annual banquet, April 16, at the American Legion in Jackson Center.

Social hour will begin at 6 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $25 each and are available at the Jackson Center School office.

The highlight of the evening will be the recognition of 2016 Jackson Center graduates and the presentation of various scholarships. Scholarship recipients are eligible to reapply for the scholarship annually with the possibility of receiving four years of assistance.

James Elmer, who partnered with his brother, Walter, to operate Jackson Center Insurance Co., will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Burns Wren, who was instrumental in EMI’s growth through the development of conveyor and automation systems, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Pioneer Award. The “Teachers Touch Lives” Award will be presented to Christine Jenkins who taught in various teaching positions during 25 years within the Jackson Center school system.

Richard K. Warren, retired Allen County Common Pleas Court judge, will be the guest speaker. He started out in a private law firm and worked part-time in the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office. He won the seat on the Common Pleas court bench in 1988 and began serving in January 1989. He retired as Common Pleas Court judge in 2012, after 24 years on the bench.

Proceeds from the banquet support the Jackson Center Educational Foundation Scholarship fund.