University News
Looser-Flake Scholarship Established at WIU
April 12, 2017
MACOMB, IL -- As the Great Depression was coming to an end, World War II was just beginning and Winston Churchill became Britain's Prime Minister, sisters Dorothy Looser-Flake and Roberta Looser were graduating from Western Illinois University.
The Looser sisters, who were born and raised on a family farm near New Boston Township, came to Western to pursue their education goals. After graduating in 1939, Dorothy taught fifth grade in Rock Island public schools for decades, before retiring in 1966. Roberta completed her degree from WIU in 1940, and began work as an elementary school teacher in Mercer County, and later in the Rock Island public schools until her retirement in 1969. Both women have since passed, but their legacy will live on at Western for years to come thanks to the establishment of the Dorothy Looser-Flake and Roberta Looser Scholarship Endowment by the Looser-Flake Charitable Foundation.
The foundation was created by the Loosers to "advance economic development and further cultural and educational opportunities in Mercer County, Illinois, with a particular focus on the New Boston Township in Mercer County." It is that Foundation that provided $50,000 for the creation of the Dorothy Looser-Flake and Roberta Looser Scholarship Endowment at Western.
"It is with great honor and pride that we celebrate the creation of the Dorothy Looser-Flake and Roberta Looser Scholarship Endowment. It truly shows how Western Illinois University has a great tradition of producing alumni who are committed to the excellence of their host communities and regions, and to further supporting educational access and affordability for future Leathernecks to come in the generations ahead," said Joe Rives, vice president for Quad Cities and Planning.
The Dorothy Looser-Flake and Roberta Looser Scholarship is available to any Mercer County resident who is enrolled full-time at Western Illinois University.
"Creating scholarship endowments at local universities like Western Illinois University helps us fulfill Dorothy and Roberta's charge to us - to advance educational opportunities for the people of Mercer County. We hope that these scholarships will help Mercer County residents to get a high quality education close to home, and then stay in the county to keep contributing to their community," shared John A. Slover, Jr., a Looser-Flake Charitable Foundation trustee. "We recognize that it is not only graduating high school seniors who need scholarships, so we made sure that current and non-traditional or returning students were also eligible for the scholarships."
Preference is given to education or agriculture undergraduate students who have demonstrated community service to Mercer County, especially in the New Boston Township. The hope is that those who receive this scholarship will then return to Mercer County to reside after graduating from WIU.
"It's a pleasure working with the trustees of the Looser-Flake Foundation to identify and carry out opportunities that fulfill the legacy of the Looser-Flake sisters. This is one of the core purposes of the Community Foundation: to bring together community needs and the resources to address them," stated Kelly Thompson, vice president of grantmaking and community initiatives at the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend.
"WIU began as a teacher's college, and for decades we have educated the best and brightest students who have gone on to become educators themselves, including Dorothy Looser-Flake and Roberta Looser," added Brad Bainter, vice president for Advancement and Public Services. "Both enjoyed successful careers as educators and we are grateful that they are sharing some of that success with today's students who will follow in their footsteps."
Posted By: Amanda Shoemaker, WIU Foundation & Development (AJ-Shoemaker@wiu.edu)
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