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Alumna honors parents' memory with $25,000 gift
Anne (Gerberich) Waddington, a 1975 UW-Eau Claire College of Business graduate, and her husband, Rick, have made a $25,000 gift to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation in support of two long-standing scholarship funds that honor the memory of her parents, Dr. John and Mary Lou Gerberich. Dr. John Gerberich was a UW-Eau Claire professor of biology from 1954-81. He established the university’s department of allied health professions and was instrumental in the creation of the bachelor of science degree program in nursing. Mary Lou Gerberich was an educator and later an advocate on behalf of the aging. John died in 1995 and Mary Lou in 1988. "My parents were committed to education," said Waddington. "My father devoted his whole career to education and my mother was also a college professor — in fact, that was how they met. Even though they've been gone a long time, it's important to me to continue to honor their commitment to students and the university." Scholarships like the Gerberich funds encourage students to develop careers in the sciences, noted Paula Kleintjes, chair of the biology department. "The Mary Lou and John Gerberich Biology Scholarship honors John Gerberich's dedication to the university and his interest in invertebrate research, and it furthers that interest in future generations," said Kleintjes. The John and Mary Gerberich Allied Health Scholarship promotes study in the medical sciences. "Dr. Gerberich's desire to support worthy, needy students in environmental public health and health care administration reflects his pioneering success in establishing the university’s department of allied health professions in 1969," said Crispin Pierce, assistant professor of public health professions. The Gerberich scholarship funds, which have been in place since 1989, honor the Gerberiches’ enduring commitment to education, said Carole Halberg, UW-Eau Claire Foundation president. "It's gratifying to receive this gift from the Gerberiches' daughter that continues to honor her parents' long-standing devotion to future generations of students."
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