Clara Eby Steiner Scholarship

Lester Hostetler, a former Mennonite church minister at Bethel College (Kansas), has created an endowed trust fund for Goshen College as a tribute to his mother—in—law, Clara Eby Steiner.

Lester’s gift to GC was prompted by the death of his wife, Charity, in the spring of 1987. He remembers how often she would identify herself as “the daughter Clara Eby Steiner.”

Clara impressed Lester with her determination to provide each of her children with a college education. Lester vividly remembers how hard Clara worked to run the family farm after her husband, M.S. Steiner, a Mennonite minister, died at the age of 44. There was no life insurance, and she had a tract of only 20 acres to support five children.

Clara was, however, determined that all five should attend college. That became possible with careful management, a lot of hard work and some assistance from her father and good neighbors. (In the circumstances Lester almost felt guilty for marrying her oldest daughter, Charity, and taking her away from the farm.)

Charity and Lester met at Goshen College where Charity was studying to become an English teacher and Lester was preparing for the ministry. He graduated from GC in 1915 and was one of the first Mennonite ministers to attend seminary, studying at the Union Seminary in New York City. Charity graduated in 1916. After that, she taught English for several years at Pandora (Ohio) High School.

Lester and Charity were married in 1918, following Lester’s graduation from seminary. For many years they served Mennonite pastorates in a variety of states. During the first years of the Hostetlers’ marriage, Charity continued teaching at Walnut Creek ‘Ohio High School, and Lester taught music in a public school. He was also involved with choirs and music classes in the churches where he served. One of his contributions to the larger Mennonite Church was in his role as the coeditor of the 1969 Mennonite Hymnal.

Part of the Hostetlers’ service to the Mennonite Church also included a year under Mennonite Central Committee in Berlin, Germany, Where Lester was director of a neighborhood center, and Charity taught English classes. They retired to their fruit farm near Sugarcreek, Ohio, where Lester took up piano tuning.

Lester established this scholarship fund to honor Clara Eby Steiner and her commitment to her children’s education at GC. He said, “I wanted to do something that no one else has done and pay a tribute to my mother—in-law.’