EAA Chapter 640 in Wausau, Wis., has donated $10,000 to the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame to establish a new scholarship fund for aviation/aerospace students from Wisconsin.
The largest gift WAHF has received by an individual or organization, the fund will be established at the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin, Wausau, to endow a named scholarship. Successful applicants for the new scholarship will be Wisconsin residents who are aviation/aerospace students at U.S. technical schools, colleges, or universities with strong academic performance, civic involvement, and extracurricular activities.
“We are grateful to members of EAA Chapter 640 who see the significance of aviation careers and the magnitude of helping students meet their academic and career goals,” said Rose Dorcey, WAHF president. “WAHF is pleased to have EAA Chapter 640 as a partner in furthering our scholarship program and appreciate their commitment to supporting aviation education. The Wausau area has a long history of aviation visionaries and we feel their spirit in the chapter’s donation.”
“We are proud to be helping young men and women through the establishment of a new scholarship fund with the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame,” said EAA Chapter 640 President Bob Mohr.
The chapter’s donation is a result of an estate gift left to the chapter by Bob Payzer, a Wausau native and friend of the chapter who passed away in 2010. The chapter also donated $10,000 to the Archie Towle Aviation Endowment Fund, established in 1998 to award up to $3,000 to students living within a 50 mile radius of the Wausau area who demonstrate financial need, ability, and a desire to pursue a career in the field of aviation
A scholarship presentation was held on May 7 at Wausau Downtown Airport (KAUW), Wausau. Representatives of EAA Chapter 640, the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame, Archie Towle Advisory Committee, the Community Foundation, and former Towle Scholarship recipients were on hand to celebrate this generous gift.
The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin is WAHF’s scholarship administrator. Additional information can be found here.
The Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame, established in 1985, currently awards three scholarships: the Carl Guell Memorial ($1000) created in 2002, the Jerome Thiessen Scholarship ($500) that began in 2005, and the Jerome Ripp Memorial, a $500 award established in 2007. WAHF has awarded $18,000 in scholarship funds since the launch of its program in 2002.
EAA Chapter 640 was established in 1978 and part of its mission is to foster, promote, and engage in aviation education.