The Forty and Eight Scholarship, established in 2023 by the Forty and Eight Allegany County Voiture 1006 Chapter, supports nursing students across Allegany County.
Forty and Eight is an honor society of American veterans and service. The society’s name comes from the French phrase “La Société des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux,” which translates to “The Society of Forty Men and Eight Horses.”
The name is derived from the experiences of US troops during World War I, when American soldiers were transported to the front of the war through the French rail system. The boxcars were stenciled with “40 Hommes/8 Chevaux,” indicating each car could carry forty men or eight horses.
This experience was considered “a mutual, small misery among American soldiers” by the veterans returning from France who later founded this organization in 1920.
The Forty and Eight Society is committed to patriotic and charitable endeavors, including child welfare and nurses training. The emphasis on supporting nurses is derived from the acute nurse shortage the veterans observed during their service.
Allegany County’s Forty and Eight Chapter was established on June 16, 1928. Since then, members have supported the community in many ways, including helping future nurses pursue their education. The scholarship continues that legacy for future generations.
“Voiture 1006 leadership and members realize that the membership is shrinking due to an aging group,” Chef-de-Train Scott Golden wrote. “The hope is to create a legacy through partnering with the Allegany County Area Foundation so that the good that has been done by our group in the past will continue to live on after we are gone.”
This scholarship supports seniors and graduates of Allegany County high schools pursuing post-secondary education in the nursing field. Allegany County residents who graduated from a high school outside the county pursuing nursing school are also eligible to apply.
To date, this scholarship has supported four students: Emily Costello, Lauren Haggstrom, Emilya Mejia, and Sarah Perkins. This year, the scholarship will provide two nursing students with a $700 scholarship.
The Forty and Eight Voiture 1006 is still active and meets monthly at the Belmont Herbert W. De Long American Legion Post #808.
