Local students receive scholarships totaling more than $30,000 from Community Foundation

QUINCY — Eighteen area students pursuing higher education and a local teacher have been awarded more than $30,000 in scholarships and recognition awards from the Community Foundation Serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

Recipients of the scholarships, most of which come from permanently endowed funds at the Community Foundation, will receive financial support towards the accredited post-secondary institution they are attending in the 2023-2024 school year. One fund also provides a teacher recognition award and grant to provide classroom resources.

Each scholarship fund has its own criteria representing the donor’s or honoree’s interests or legacy.

Most of the scholarships are endowed, which means a portion of the earnings of each fund is reinvested for continued growth, providing future scholarships and awards to deserving students.

This year’s recipients are:

• Paige Cegas and Madison Cegas, students at Quincy University, received the Amelia E. Bauner, Frances A. Hall, and Walter J. Hall Scholarship. Paige and Madison are majoring in education with plans to pursue careers in teaching. The Amelia E. Bauner, Frances A. Hall, and Walter J. Hall Scholarship Fund annually provides a scholarship to aid in the payment of tuition to students residing in Adams County and who are enrolled at Quincy University pursuing a degree in education. Amelia Bauner, a retired teacher with a continuous service record of 44 years in the Quincy Public Schools, died May 2008 at the age of 99. “Mrs. Bauner had very little family but many friends. She wanted to do something for the community and to honor her brother and sister,” her attorney said when the fund was established.
• Kyndall Ham,  a graduate of John Wood Community College, received the George and Sharen Borrowman Agriculture Scholarship. She will attend Western Illinois University to study ag business. The George and Sharen Borrowman Agriculture Scholarship Fund provides one or more scholarships for a former student or graduate of John Wood Community College entering his or her junior or senior year at an accredited college or university pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a major in an agricultural-related field. Sharen Borrowman established this scholarship in memory of her husband, George, a third generation farmer in Pike County, Ill., who died in 2009. “Farming was his life,” Sharen said. “I want to help with someone’s education and to honor George and his life.”   
• Hunter Hildebrand, a graduate of Quincy High School, received the Becky Swisher Crowe Memorial Scholarship. He will attend Quincy University to major in elementary music education. The Becky Swisher Crowe Memorial Scholarship Fund provides a scholarship at an accredited two-year or four-year institution for a Quincy High School senior intending to pursue a degree in education. Becky Swisher Crowe taught at Quincy Junior High School and Quincy High School. She was killed March 9, 1979 in an automobile accident on her way to work. Her colleagues immediately set up a scholarship in her name. “Becky loved kids and teaching,” said her best friend, Karen Bottorff. “Whenever she was around, it was a happier place.” The scholarship was transferred to the Community Foundation in 2006 to ensure Becky’s name and legacy endured.
• Sheldon Bergheger, a graduate of Hannibal High School, received the Hannibal High School Class of 1955 Scholarship. He will attend Columbia College of Missouri to study psychology. The Hannibal High School Class of 1955 Scholarship Fund provides a scholarship to a Hannibal High School graduate who will be attending an accredited post-secondary institution for tuition, room and board, fees and/or books, and related expenses. At its 50th reunion, two members of the Hannibal High School Class of 1955 challenged others to establish a scholarship to give back to the community and school that were so important to them during their formative years. Forty-six members made founding gifts to establish this scholarship fund in 2005.
• Lydia Fischer, a graduate of Quincy Senior High School, received the F. Lee and Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship. Kayla Maguire, a 2022 graduate of Quincy Senior High School and student at John Wood Community College renewed the scholarship from the F. Lee and Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship for her sophomore year. Lydia will attend Central College in Pella, Iowa, to study elementary music education. Kayla attends John Wood Community College and majors in elementary education. Kayla received her second year of the renewable scholarship. The F. Lee and Joan Kammerlohr Family Scholarship Fund was established in 2021 in honor of Joan’s dedication to education. Joan spent 39 years as an elementary teacher in Wisconsin, Singapore and Quincy.
• Heaven Leigh Corbett, a graduate of Western High School, received the Dorothy J. Motley Memorial Scholarship. She will attend John Wood Community College in the fall to study education and art.  The Dorothy J. Motley Memorial Scholarship Fund was established as part of Mrs. Motley’s will to assist a Barry High School student attending college. “Mrs. Motley was very quaint and lived quietly,” said Debbie Harshman, owner of The Paper in Barry. “She made (people) feel so special. That quality is priceless … making others feel special.” The scholarship for a graduate of Western High School (formerly Barry High School) helps with expenses for attending an accredited post-secondary institution.
• Sophia Dickerson, William Goings, and Curtis Miller, graduates of Highland High School, and Aliandra Wilson, graduate of Canton R-V High School, received scholarships from the Ben C. and Etta M. Plank Memorial Fund. Dickerson will attend John Wood Community College to study nursing. Goings will attend the University of Missouri to study biology (pre-med). Miller will attend State Technical College of Missouri to study electrical distribution systems. Wilson will attend Southeastern Community College to study nursing. Dorothy Plank established the Ben C. and Etta M. Plank Memorial Fund, in honor of her parents, through her trust. The scholarship is for students graduating from Canton High School or Highland High School to help fund college tuition. The endowed fund will continue to provide support for students continuing their education for years to come. Dorothy Plank was a modest person who did not draw attention to herself. She thought long and hard about what she wanted to do to benefit others. A longtime friend and her attorney both agreed that while living, she would not have wanted people to know her estate plans. They also agree that what Miss Plank did serve as an example for others to consider when planning for charitable causes.
• Skyler Wilhoit, a graduate of Quincy Senior High School, received the Quincy High School Class of 1957 Scholarship. skyler will attend Vanderbilt University and major in sociology. The scholarship was initiated with a gift from Dr. John E. Sallstrom to commemorate the 50th reunion of the QHS Class of 1957. “The scholarship fund should help the recipients continue their chosen career paths and motivate them to strive for excellence in their lives,” says Dr. Sallstrom. “If it encourages other individuals and classes to do something similar in the future, the whole community will be enriched.” The Quincy High School Class of 1957 Scholarship Fund provides one or more scholarships to a Quincy High School graduate who will be attending an accredited, four-year post-secondary institution for tuition, room and board, fees and/or books, and related expenses. 
• Bronson Juette, a graduate of Palmyra Senior High School, received a scholarship from the Teresa Lynn Thompson Memorial Scholarship Fund. He will attend University of Missouri to study engineering/computer science. The Teresa Lynn Thompson Memorial Scholarship Fund was established with memorials and donations made following Thompson’s death in May 2004. The scholarship assists a Palmyra R-1 High School student attending a post-secondary school. Thompson’s roots were in Palmyra. She had many family and friends there. She spent her life’s work in radio. Her ability to work and deal with people earned her great respect, according to her employer and friend, Bud Janes, former owner of Bick Broadcasting.
• Emmalee Drebes, a graduate of Palmyra High School, received a scholarship from the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund. She will attend Truman State University to study nursing and plans to continue helping on her family’s farm. Augustine Mahsman and Jacob Webster, past graduates of Palmyra High School, renewed scholarships from the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund. Mahsman attends Benedictine College and majors in engineering. He received his second year of the renewable scholarship. Webster attends the University of Nebraska and studies agricultural and natural resources management. Jacob received his third year of the renewable scholarship. In 2012, Alton Vannice’s wife, Joyce, and their family, decided to honor Alton’s legacy of agricultural leadership by establishing the Alton A. Vannice FFA Leadership Fund. The family endowed a scholarship for the further education of Palmyra FFA students who show outstanding leadership qualities and seek to enter agricultural careers. Alton Vannice was a 10th generation farmer who learned the skills of leadership through his experiences in the Palmyra FFA Chapter. Alton’s beliefs in his community and in agriculture were expressed as he served on numerous committees and boards throughout his farming career. He gladly served in these capacities and others because he believed in the values expressed in the FFA creed: leadership, respect, the ability to work efficiently and think clearly, and in the promise of better days through better ways.
• Matthew Barry, a graduate of Canton R-V High School, received the Tom and Judy Zenge Fund Scholarship. He will attend Missouri University of Science and Technology to study mechanical engineering. Chad Morss, a teacher at Canton R-V High School, received the Tom and Judy Zenge Fund Teacher Recognition Award. With the award, Morss will help fund a training program for a new course he will be teaching. In addition, he plans to buy supplemental textbooks and reference materials for the new course. The scholarship provided by the Tom and Judy Zenge Fund encourages the best and brightest young men and women to enter technical careers, whether engineering, research, teaching, manufacturing or other related fields. The teacher award recognizes a teacher who continues to make learning a lifelong passion. The student scholarship recipient recommends selection of the teacher award recipient. The primary consideration is for the teacher who has been most influential in helping the student to achieve academic success. The Zenges established their fund in 2006 with the Community Foundation to provide annual scholarship and teacher recognition awards at Canton R-V High School.