by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s nationally recognized aviation program recently received a donation from The Boeing Company to further enhance offerings to its students.

Boeing’s latest gift of $50,000 will be used toward scholarships and enabling students in aviation-related student registered organizations to attend conferences where they gain additional knowledge and network.

“Partnerships with outstanding aviation organizations, like The Boeing Company, play a pivotal role in assisting the School of Aviation in acquiring the funding and equipment resources necessary to educate and develop the finest aviation industry workforce in the world,” said José R. Ruiz, professor and interim director.

Ruiz said the funds will be used to subsidize aviation education costs. Each of the three programs within the School of Aviation — aviation flight, aviation management and aviation technologies — will receive $10,000 in student scholarship funds. The remaining $20,000 is earmarked to support aviation-related RSOs and aviation outreach programs, such as Girls in Aviation, which introduces girls ages 6-13 from local communities to aviation, engage in aviation activities and explore the vast career possibilities. A portion of the funds will also be used to host a diversity luncheon in April with speakers focusing on diversity within the industry.

Strong SIU supporter

Since 2016, Boeing and its employees, through the assistance of the Boeing gift match program, have provided more than $344,000 to the Southern Illinois University Foundation.

“Boeing remains committed to ensuring that students of all backgrounds have access to globally competitive learning and are equipped with skills for the modern workplace,” said Randell Gelzer, Boeing senior director of state and local government operations. “Our partnership with the SIU School of Aviation will provide safe and inclusive learning environments and professional development opportunities for students from underrepresented communities, women and military veterans. This program is a key contributor to economic growth and talent development for our local aerospace industry.”

Student organizations will benefit greatly

Leslie Duran, a senior in aviation flight, is president of SIU’s chapter of the Women in Aviation (WIA), and Valarie Meyer, a senior who is in her second year in aviation flight and management, is the SIU chapter president of the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA). Both emphasize Boeing’s gift is critical to the activities their organizations sponsor.

Meyer said the gift allowed chapter members to attend the NGPA Industry Expo in Palm Springs, California, earlier this month.

“This conference is one of the biggest gatherings of aviation companies, airlines and aviation enthusiasts. This event will allow our students to network and create lasting career connections,” said Meyer, of Salem, Wisconsin, who will graduate in spring 2024. “Attending this conference allowed many of our past members to secure jobs, create lasting friendships and solidify their place in aviation. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to connect even further with the aviation community.”

The Women in Aviation chapter will have six of its 40 members attend the WIA conference, Feb. 22-25, in Long Beach, California, including five members whose trips will be fully funded. Including this year, a total of 12 members will have attended the last two years.

Fell in love with SIU’s opportunities

In high school, Meyer was part of a program that allowed her to build and then fly an experimental aircraft. The program introduced her to mentors who guided her toward an aviation career and SIU, said Meyer, who wants to become a professional pilot for a Chicago-based corporate flight department.

Duran, a first-generation transfer student from Elgin, Illinois, had “zero aviation history or knowledge” after attending community college and considered pursuing a career as a flight attendant. Duran is in her second year at SIU and said participating in the RSO is one way to encourage other women. She wants to work for an airline after she graduates.

“I had never considered becoming a pilot because it was not catered to women,” she said. “The more I researched, the more I got excited and fell in love with the possibility. SIU became the answer to achieving this dream when I realized I could earn a bachelor’s and fly! SIU became home when it recognized me not only as a first-generation Latina woman but as a pilot.”

Assistantship, scholarship named for longtime professor, family

Most worthwhile college experiences include connecting with others. Some of these interactions are fleeting, but some make a lasting impact.

One such connection from decades ago inspired an SIU alumnus to ensure that impact stretches decades into the future. With two gifts, totaling $525,000, he and his wife have honored Dr. David Werlich and his family.

“I don’t think I would have ever finished my graduate degree without their support,” said the alumnus, who wished to remain anonymous. The first is a $425,000 gift that will establish the Werlich Family Graduate Assistantship in Digital Humanities at Morris Library Endowment Fund. The other is a $100,000 donation that creates the David P. Werlich Graduate Scholarship Endowment Fund in the Department of History.

Dr. David Werlich, an emeritus history professor, taught courses in Latin American history. However, it wasn’t his classes that inspired such a philanthropic gesture.

“I never took a class with Dr. Werlich, but I knew his son, Tom, and we went to graduate school at the same time. When I was there, all my undergrad friends had left, and I felt kind of alone,” said the alumnus. “That’s when we became extremely good friends. He introduced me to his family, and I ended up spending a lot of time at his home in Carbondale.

“Dr. Werlich would talk about a lot of things – history, politics, and particularly South America. The Werlichs were very good to me. It was like having a second family. It was vital for me.”

THE WERLICH LEGACY

A recipient of five assistantships during his time at SIU, the alumnus felt it was important to give other students similar opportunities. The Werlich Family Graduate Assistantship will help the library with its digitalization project.

Graduate students will be able to apply for the assistantship and receive it multiple times to help SIU and Morris Library develop future leaders in the field of digitalization.

“This gift will allow us to bring more of the treasures held in the Special Collections Research Center to our students and faculty in a digital format that leads to a deeper engagement with the actual documents,” said John Pollitz, dean of Library Affairs. “It promotes collaboration with the history department directly but will and provides the foundation for more digital humanities projects across campus.”

Pollitz shared his experience with Dr. Werlich, which makes this donation that much more meaningful.

“I took two classes in Latin American history from Dr. Werlich. They had a real impact on my life,” he said. “Many things about Dr. Werlich’s teaching have stayed with me since those times. He made the subject come alive and exciting. The idea of honoring this wonderful professor and making the library part of this gift was a high point in my life as a librarian.”

The David P. Werlich Graduate Scholarship will benefit a student in the Department of History who is focusing on Latino Studies.

“Dr. Werlich’s career at SIU spanned four decades and left a deep imprint on the teaching of history to thousands of students,” said Dr. Jonathan Bean, professor of history at SIU. “Under his leadership, SIU hired a new generation of history professors to reinvigorate the field.”

Dr. Bean, too, was directly impacted by the career of Dr. Werlich.

“He was famous for his wicked sense of humor, and he was popular as an instructor,” he said. “He was also mentor to students and faculty in ways that went beyond the imparting of advice. I am indebted to him for his mentoring – he made my early years at SIU a pleasure and his mentoring is something I aspire to pay forward to the next generation. The ripples of his influence will be felt for years to come.”

‘THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES’

After years of making smaller scale donations, including spreading funds to multiple areas during recent SIU Days of Giving, a conversation about something more substantial began.

“I was donating to a wide variety of causes, but I had not committed to a larger donation,” the alumnus said. “I knew I wanted to honor Dr. Werlich and his family.”

Both projects are forward-thinking in their nature, considering the value of digital records and understanding the importance of diversity, particularly that of the Latino culture.

“It’s important for the future success of the university. We want kids who are interested in focusing on these things,” he said.

The spirit of what Dr. Werlich was able to do for this particular alumnus is reflected in his generous donation.

“This is what it takes to have extras at the university,” he said. “There’s an element of feeling good about helping people out. It’s not easy out there.”

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Seventy years after Johnny Youchoff ’s graduation from SIU, his family is honoring his memory by establishing the Johnny Youchoff and Mary Agnes Youchoff Finish Line Endowed Scholarship.

His cousin, John Savio, and John’s wife, Anita, donated $250,000 to create this endowed scholarship honoring Youchoff and his wife, Mary Agnes. The term “finish line” refers to the goal of the fund, which aims to help students complete their degrees.

The scholarship is designed for SIU juniors and seniors who are graduates of his former high school in West Frankfort or his mother’s high school in Christopher and have experienced a major life event that may prevent them from graduating.

“Johnny had every sticker the SIU Alumni Association had sent him on his garage wall,” said John Savio. “He hoped to be a member of the Alumni Association for at least 50 years, and was proud to exceed that goal.”

Youchoff, a West Frankfort native worked at his family business, Heights Bakery, as a youth and graduated from Frankfort Community High School. At SIU, he majored in geography and graduated in 1952. In May of 2021 he passed away at age 91 and was buried with his SIU 150th anniversary pin.

“Education was very important to Johnny, and he was particularly eager to help students from his and his mother’s hometowns,” Anita Savio said. “He would love that his legacy will be supporting these students on the brink of completing their degrees.”

Family Memories

John Savio never lived in Southern Illinois, but as a youth he and his parents often visited his grandmother, and aunt and uncle there.

“That was a vacation our family took every summer for at least a week, sometimes 10 days. I had so much fun with Johnny and his brother Louis,” said John Savio, a longtime Michigan resident. “We would go fishing, boating and hiking, and travel all around the area … to Crab Orchard, Cave-in-Rock, Shawnee National Forest.”

After earning his degree, Youchoff joined the Army and served proudly during the Korean War. Upon his return he went to work at General Motors in Atlanta, and, before meeting his wife-to-be, spent his evenings studying law at John Marshall Law School.

“That was the kind of guy Johnny was,” John Savio said. “He had no interest in practicing law and never mentioned his degree. I didn’t even know he went to law school until I saw the diploma on his wall about 10 years ago. Even at SIU, he studied Russian for the fun of it. He just loved learning.”

Always a Saluki

Through the years, Youchoff never lost his Saluki spirit. Although he lived in Georgia and Tennessee, he followed Saluki Athletics closely, particularly Saluki Men’s Basketball. For years, until Mary Agnes became ill, they would travel to Carbondale for the SIU Homecoming games. Later, it was a 2014 trip to campus that reignited his plan to help students.

“After so many years, Johnny wanted to visit his alma mater,” Anita Savio said. “So, he and John went on a road trip to SIU, where they ran into the associate athletic director of marketing. Their conversation brought back many great memories, reminding him of how much he loved the school.”

Youchoff then began working with the SIU Foundation on making a large-scale gift, but, due to life-changing events, it was never finalized. The Savios knew it was important to make this dream a reality.

“He had talked often about doing this,” John Savio said. “I reached out to the SIU Foundation and had lengthy discussions about what this fund would be. Of course, Johnny passed away before it came to fruition.”

Now, with the establishment of his fund, John and Anita Savio are confident that Youchoff would be pleased with the outcome.

“He really wanted to make sure that other young people could benefit from an education like he received at SIU,” Anita Savio said. “We are thrilled that we are able to fulfill this wish in his honor.”

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