Nancy D. Gerth Memorial Scholarship

The Nancy D. Gerth Memorial Scholarship is created to give assistance to students who seek a degree in Social Work and a minor in Child Advocacy, in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Preference will be given to a student who participates with the Access Services program offered at WSU.

Criteria

Each applicant must be a graduate from a Minnesota high school
Each applicant must be a Junior status by the fall of the year when receiving the scholarship award
Each applicant must be enrolled full-time (i.e., minimum of twelve credits per semester) at Winona State University with a WSU cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher.
Each applicant must be a declared Social Work major and a minor in Child Advocacy at Winona State University

• Preference will be given to a student who participates in the Disabilities Resource Center

Biography/Motivation

Nancy D. Gerth was born on January 5, 1941 in Elysian, MN. After high school, she graduated from the Nursing program at St. Josephs Hospital in Mankato, MN. Her room-mate introduced her to Steve Gerth, who was a student at Mankato State University. They were married on September 22, 1962. Nancy and Steve had two daughters, Andrea Essar and Jennifer Gerth
In 1980, Nancy graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Cloud State University with a BA degree in social work. She worked for the American Cancer Society for two years. She then worked as a social worker for Morrison County where she enjoyed working with adults and children with disabilities.
Nancy was a life long resident of Minnesota. She loved playing bridge with her bridge group and spent many hours enjoying her garden. She was a member of the St. Cloud Heritage Quilters, the Friends of the St. Cloud Great River Regional Library, and the Red Hat Club. She volunteered countless hours on the Catwalking for a Cure fashion show that helped fund the Breast Center at the St. Cloud Hospital. As a breast cancer survivor, Nancy gave to her community by reassuring others through the process of chemotherapy and radiation. One of Nancy’s greatest joys was spoiling her grandchildren, Mitchell Essar, Hannah Essar, Raef Eddins, and Riley Eddins.
Together, Steve and Nancy enjoyed bike trips, traveling, music, art, books, fine foods, and Elder Hostels. On February 8, 2006, Steve and Nancy were killed in an automobile accident while traveling to Jekyll Island, Georgia.