The Janice Stutz Rasley Endowed Scholarship for Journalism

My mother, Janice Stutz Rasley, is a descendent of early pioneers who settled in the Goshen area. She graduated from Goshen High School in 1947 and then attended the University of Oklahoma majoring in Journalism.

Jan began her career in journalism in 1948 as a college intern at the Goshen News-Democrat. (The paper’s name was shortened to The Goshen News in 1954.) Jan dropped out of college in 1951 to join her husband, the late George K. Rasley, at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he served during the Korean Conflict. Two years later, the family, now including my older brother, George Jr., and me, returned to Goshen. While raising her two boys, Jan worked part-time at The Goshen News as a substitute society page writer, reporter, and columnist. During the 1960s, she wrote a weekly historical column called Reminiscence.

In 1972, after both sons were in college, Jan was finally able to fulfill her desire to work full-time in journalism as an editorial assistant. She was soon promoted to city editor, the first woman employed in an editorial position by The Goshen News. From 1973 to 1975, Jan also served as editor of the magazine, Cross Keys, a state-wide publication for the members of Tri Kappa sorority.

Although no one in our family is a graduate of Goshen College, we had a close connection to the college. In 1960 we moved to Gra-Roy Dr., just a block away from the campus. The campus became a playground for my brother and me. I attended GC my freshman year and took Fine Arts and English History through “Goshen College in London.” During my senior year in high school, and prior to her full-time position at The Goshen News, Jan worked as a part-time secretary in the English Department of Goshen College. As city editor of the newspaper, she also served on the Goshen College Afternoon Sabbatical Committee from 1977 to 1989.

In Goshen’s sesquicentennial year, 1981, Jan was a member of the city’s Sesquicentennial Committee, and was co-editor of the book, “Goshen, The First 150 Years.” She was named Goshen’s Historian of the Year in 1989.

Jan retired from The Goshen News in 1989, and is now married to the News Editor Emeritus, Robert W. Conrad. They are residing in Naples, Florida, when this scholarship is being established in 2023.

My wife, Alicia Todd Rasley, and I dedicate this scholarship for GC students in tribute to my mother, because of our love for her, and our admiration for how she pursued a career in journalism during a time when it was not easy for a woman to achieve success in that field. Jan always wished that she had finished college and received her degree. So, we are creating this scholarship for students in their third or fourth years of college to help them cross that finish line.

Written by Jeff Rasley