Galen and Carolyn Wenger Scholarship Fund

Galen Rosenberger Wenger was born in Sellersville, PA and spent most of his childhood in Lambertville, NJ.  Carolyn Jean (Liechty) Wenger was born in Peoria, IL and grew up in Archbold, OH.  Both Galen and Carolyn graduated from Goshen College in 1968. After graduation, Carolyn accepted a teaching position in Jefferson County, a suburb of Denver, CO, and earned her Masters in Education at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO.  Galen enrolled in graduate school at West Virginia University Medical School.  After completing his Ph.D. in pharmacology, he accepted a research fellowship position at the University of Colorado Medical School in Denver and met Carolyn at a Goshen College alumni dinner in Denver.  They were married in November of 1972, and in June 1973 they moved to Boston where Galen accepted a research fellowship and junior faculty position at Harvard Medical School and Carolyn taught elementary school in neighboring Belmont, MA.  Their two children, Alyssa Nicole and Aaron Joseph, were born in Boston.  In 1978 Galen accepted a faculty position at the University of Arkansas Medical School in Little Rock, AR, and Carolyn was employed as an elementary school teacher in the Little Rock School District.  This became their home for the rest of their professional careers, and it is where they raised their two children.

When they decided to include this Scholarship in their estate planning, they were trying to fill a niche that they saw through the eyes of their daughter, Alyssa.  Alyssa had many college choices with significant scholarships being offered.  Goshen offered Alyssa a Menno Simons Scholarship, but it was by no means the biggest financial package she was offered by some other very good colleges.  To her, Goshen held no special attraction other than it was where her parents and many of her cousins went to college.  Many of her cousins and family friends, who attended Mennonite Churches, were receiving additional encouragement from their churches to attend Goshen or one of the other Mennonite Colleges in the form of Scholarships provided by the churches.  Alyssa never had the opportunity to attend a Mennonite Church as a result of her Father’s employment in areas of the country that had no Mennonite Church.  Thus, she grew up in a Methodist Church, and received no financial encouragement from her congregation to attend a Mennonite College.  In spite of this, she selected Goshen for her college experience because of its strong science program and opportunities provided by the SST program.  She never regretted making the decision.

With this scholarship Galen and Carolyn would like to provide some financial incentive for the children of other Goshen alumni whose church is not providing any financial incentive for them to attend Goshen College. It is hoped that these students will have as great of an experience at Goshen College as their daughter.