The fund creators are Beverly Scherr and Gary Heinemann, daughter and son of Wilmerd Heinemann. Wilmerd, Helen, and both their children, were WSU graduates. Wilmerd graduated in 1942 with a degree in Animal Science, Helen in 1943 with a degree in Nutrition, Bev in 1969 with an Education degree, and Gary in 1976 with a degree in Business Administration. Helen was a trustee at Big Bend Community College (BBCC), and when she passed away in 2005, her family established an endowed nursing scholarship in her name at BBCC. Wilmerd served in the Army Veterinary Corps for 3 years in WWII. Wilmerd and Helen were married in 1943. They operated a livestock and wheat ranch near Ritzville from 1946-1980. Wilmerd was a 4-H Livestock Club leader for 25 years, was elected to the Washington State 4H Hall of Fame in 2001, was past president of the Adams county Fair and Adams County Junior Livestock Show, and was an honorary life member of the Ritzville Future Farmers of America. He belonged to the Ralston Grange since 1936. He was organizer and past supervisor of the Adams County Soil Conservation District. He belonged to the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and Adams County Cattlemen’s Association, and he was a Federal Land Bank director for 30 years. Wilmerd was also a big Cougar fan and held football and basketball season tickets for many years. Bev and Gary feel that since much of Wilmerd’s life revolved around agriculture and youth, it was most fitting that we honor his memory with an endowed scholarship at WSU.
Award Requirements
The distributions from this fund shall be used to provide one or more scholarships to WSU students according to the following criteria: Students majoring in the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences; First preference shall be given to students from Ritzville; the second preference shall be given to students from Lind, WA; and the third preference shall be given to students from Washtucna. If no eligible students are identified according to preferences above, students graduated from any high schools in Eastern Washington are eligible.