Hansens establish memorial scholarship
Former Marion Presbyterian Church Pastor Brad Hansen made a memorial scholarship gift to USD 408, in memory of his father, John V. Hansen, who died within the past year.
The presentation was made at the June 9 meeting of the 408 Board of Education. The fund is $1,200.
Hansen and his wife, Nancy, soon after the June school board meeting, moved to Jetmore, where he has been named pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
He pastored the church in Marion for the past five years.
His father majored in agriculture and agronomics at Kansas State University, and took part in crop judging teams and other activities. The Hansens felt this would be a fitting way to honor his memory.
Graduating seniors from Marion High School who intend to pursue post-high school studies or training in an agricultural vocation, including veterinary science, will be the sole eligible applicants.
Application forms will be available during the second semester of the school year from the MHS guidance office.
The guidance counselor must receive the completed applications by May 1, 2004. The first scholarship will be awarded in May.
"We wanted to pass this on to some of the kids at Marion," Brad Hansen said Thursday. "Nancy was a paraprofessional with the ELP program for gifted students, through the Marion County Educational Co-op, working at the middle school and high school, while we were in Marion.
"And I was the Key Club representative for Kiwanis. We wanted to maintain a connection with the kids and the schools here."
The John V. Hansen Memorial Scholarship Fund will be for Marion High School graduates only. It will have a limited life of four years, with the first three years' recipients each receiving $300 and the fourth one receiving that amount plus the interest accrued.
A selection committee will determine who receives the scholarship each year. At the committee's discretion, a scholarship may not be awarded if no acceptable or eligible application is received.
The committee members will be Ken Arnhold, MHS principal; Phoebe Janzen, MHS guidance counselor; agricultural education instructor/FFA adviser Mark Meyer, and Brad Hansen.
Other people or organizations may contribute to the fund if they wish. The school board and its agents will receive no fee for managing the memorial fund.
