President George W. Bush this month named lifelong Leland seasonal resident Thor Hearne as a member of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships.

Hearne's family has been part of the Leland community for more than five generations. Hearne is a partner with the law firm Lathrop & Gage, based in St. Louis, Mo.

Members of the White House Fellows Commission make recommendations to the president on selections for the White House Fellows program, the nation’s top mentoring program. White House Fellows typically spend a year working as full-time special assistants to senior White House staff, the vice president, cabinet secretaries and other top-ranking government officials.

The commission met this month in Annapolis, Md., to select recommendations for the president for the 2008-09 class of White House Fellows.

“It was a tremendous honor to be appointed by President Bush to serve on this commission,” Hearne said. “I found meeting the exceptional individuals who were finalists for a White House Fellowship to be an inspirational experience.”