For Immediate Release
Contact: Kim Schmelz, Foundation Director
Phone: 608.822.2379
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: October 7, 2020
Wehrle remembered with endowed scholarship for Southwest Tech agriculture students
Fennimore -Deb Wehrle recently established an endowed scholarship in memory of her husband and Southwest Wisconsin Technical College alumnus, Greg Wehrle.
Greg graduated from West Grant High School in 1968. After his high school graduation, he continued his education at Southwest Tech in the Ag Auto Tractor program, which he was a part of the first ever graduating class. In January 1970, he served in the National Guard until 1978. In 1973, Greg and Deb took over the family farm operations from his parents. Greg continued to serve on the SWTC Advisory Board for the Farm Management program for many years. Greg, Deb, and each of their three sons, Chad, Ryan, and Kurt, and daughters-in-law, Melissa and Jennifer, were all graduates of Southwest Tech.
The Greg Wehrle Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in their second year of an Agriculture program with first preference given to graduates of River Ridge High School. “This was something that Greg and I had talked about doing and when I brought up the idea to our kids they loved it,” Deb said. Deb established the scholarship with the generous donations from friends and family members who gave memoriam gifts in memory of Greg in addition to her own donation.
Because the Greg Wehrle Memorial Scholarship is endowed the Southwest Tech Foundation will be able to invest the scholarship funds for perpetuity while using the initial gift and investment earnings to award a scholarship each year. The investments of the Southwest Tech Foundation are managed by an investment company and monitored by a committee of the Board of Directors.
“We are so grateful to Deb and the Wehrle family for choosing to remember and honor Greg’s life and his strong ties to Southwest Tech by establishing this scholarship for students in agriculture,” said Kim Schmelz, director of External Relations and Alumni Development.
To learn more about Southwest Tech, the Southwest Tech Foundation or how to set up a scholarship or planned gift, contact Holly Clendenen or Kim Schmelz at foundation@swtc.edu or by calling 608-822-2379.