Helen Rose (Redig) Kirch Family Scholarship for Special Educators

In June 2020, the Helen Rose (Redig) Kirch Family Scholarship for Special Educators was established with the Winona State University Foundation. The scholarship will support and encourage graduate students pursuing their Masters in Special Education.

Criteria:

• be a graduate student enrolled part-time or full-time and in good standing at Winona State University
• be pursuing a masters degree in one of the Special Education programs
• indicate financial need

*Background and Motivation *
Helen Rose Redig was born in Winona, Minnesota on May 25, 1896 to Philip and Gertrude (Botset) Redig. Her mother died just 15 days after Helen was born from Puerperal Fever. Helen was raised by her stepmother Theresa (Merringer) Redig. She attended St. Josephs School and Winona High School and graduated in 1915 at age 19. Upon graduation, Helen attended a six- week summer program at the Winona Teachers College. She began her teaching career in the fall of 1915 at Winona County School District 114 (Walsh School House) near Oak Ridge, MN in NW Winona County. Her father, Philip, died in October 1915 just a few months after Helen started teaching. Helen taught two terms until the spring of 1917. Many teachers who taught at the Walsh School House resided in the Michel (Luxembourgish spelling of Michael) Kirch home across the road from the one-room schoolhouse.

There was an Albert Kirch (Michels son) who, according to school records, frequented the schoolhouse after he left school at age 17 to visit Helen Redig. Helen married Albert Leo Kirch on June 6, 1917 in Winona. Albert and Helen farmed for four years on Michel Kirch’s farm and then near Stockton, Minnesota. They gave up farming and resided in Winona until 1924 and eventually moved to Chicago in 1924. Albert and Helen had eight children, two of whom had special needs. Their first-born, Sylvester M., died within three weeks of birth and their daughter Lillian Mary died of spina bifida at age eight months. Their youngest daughter Dorothy Jean had cerebral palsy. Our Aunt Dorothy lived to age 72, married Robert Brock on July 26, 1971 and worked at Goodwill.
Grandma Helen was a lover of cats and crochet and letting her grandchildren win at cards.

We create this scholarship to honor our grandmother as an educator, someone who was active in her childrens education and mother of two special needs children. We also offer this scholarship in memory of Helens great granddaughter, Allison Rose Kirch, who passed away at age 17 with a rare genetic metabolic lysosomal storage disease called Mucopolysaccharidosis Type III A (Sanfilippo Syndrome A) and for the wonderful Special Education teachers in the School District of La Crosse, Wisconsin.