The late Peter Weber pictured with his wife Renee
The Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation is pleased to announce a new scholarship fund at the Foundation, the Peter J. Weber Memorial Scholarship Fund (the scholarship fund). The scholarship fund will provide college scholarships for promising graduates of Shenandoah High School (SHS) who meet the fund’s criteria of a model “scholar athlete” as exemplified by Peter Weber, a Class of 1980 graduate of SHS who passed away in 2019.
The scholarship fund is intended to be a permanent endowment of at least $25,000. Once that minimum endowment is reached, scholarships of no less than $500 each will be awarded on an annual basis. To be selected for a scholarship, candidates must meet requirements including that they must have a minimum GPA of 3.25 on a scale of 4.0, must have achieved excellence in a varsity sport, and must have “lived his or her life with great integrity, compassion for fellow human beings, humility and boundless intellectual curiosity, all of which Peter Weber exemplified in his lifetime.” Peter Weber back in his playing days
Fundraising is off to a promising start, with more than $2,500 in original donations received before the scholarship fund was publicly announced.
The foundation established the scholarship fund in cooperation with members of Peter Weber’s family and his SHS classmate, Tony Black, who approached the foundation with a proposal in late 2020. Black said in a statement, “I was looking forward to supporting the foundation by participating in the first annual Peter J. Weber Swing for Education Golf Tournament last year. After the tournament was postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19, I still wanted to do something meaningful to honor Pete. When I approached Pete’s family and the foundation with the idea of a scholarship fund, they were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic in completing the steps necessary to launch it. I know this scholarship fund will be hugely successful because so many people loved Peter Weber for the wonderful person he was and the positive impact he had on their lives.”
In addition to his founding donation, Black has offered to donate $500 for each of two donations of at least $500 that the Scholarship Fund receives from a non-family member after the date of this announcement and before August 22, 2021 (August 22 being Peter Weber’s birth date).
The scholarship fund will also receive donations in the form of proceeds from the annual Peter J. Weber Swing for Education Golf Tournament that Peter’s brother, Michael Weber, established last year. Weber said in a statement, “This scholarship fund meshes perfectly with our plans for the annual golf tournament, as they both support the foundation’s goals in a way that honors my brother Peter in a lasting way. We expect a very successful tournament event in September, as the participant roster is already nearly full.”
Corby Fichter, President of the Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation, said in a statement, “We are very excited about the establishment of the Peter J. Weber Memorial Scholarship Fund. It is a key part of our goals to enhance educational excellence in the Shenandoah schools. We hope those who knew Peter Weber, and all who wish to honor his legacy and support educational opportunities in Shenandoah, will donate generously to this fund and help build on the phenomenal support we have already seen.”
All donations, large and small, are appreciated. Those who wish to donate may do so as follows:
Online at the Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation website: donate online (click the option for “Peter J. Weber Scholarship Fund”)
or
By mail to:
Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation
P.O. Box 351
Shenandoah, IA 51601
(include a note designating the Peter J. Weber Memorial Scholarship Fund)
The Shenandoah Iowa Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations to the Peter J. Weber Memorial Scholarship Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
If you have any questions regarding the Peter J. Weber Scholarship you can contact Executive Director Jamie Burdorf at j_burdorf@yahoo.com or 515-520-7641 or President Corby Fichter at 712-621-2386.