THE SPEICH SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Donald and Pauline Thompson Speich were both raised in the Greenwood-Neillsville area. Don
graduated from Greenwood High School in 1933 and attended the University of Wisconsin-River
Falls. Pauline attended Neillsville Public Schools, graduating from Neillsville High School in
1934. They faithfully participated in alumni gatherings and took great pride in their hometowns.
Don and Polly were married in December 1939 in Neillsville where Don sold insurance before
serving in the Army during World War II. He returned to Neillsville after the war; and in 1952,
he and Polly moved to Eau Claire where Don continued to sell insurance for National Guardian
Life Insurance until his retirement. Polly actively participated in local and state genealogical
societies. She and Don were active in their support of the Chippewa Valley Museum and First
Presbyterian Church in Eau Claire. Not having children of their own, Don and Polly became
interested in making educational opportunities available to children from their hometowns.
Following Mrs. Speich’s death in December 1984, Don began plans for the establishment of an
educational fund upon his death. Don died on March 23, 1992. He and Polly are buried in the
Greenwood Cemetery.
The Donald and Pauline (Polly) Speich Educational Trust was funded with bequest of $900,000
from the Donald Speich Estate. The net income from this trust is divided equally between the
Neillsville and Greenwood, Wisconsin, high schools to provide annual scholarships for up to
four years for academically able, needy, and worthy graduating seniors to attend a college,
university, or technical school. The selection of recipients and ongoing administration of these
scholarships is managed by local selection committees established in both communities. Firstar
Bank Eau Claire, N.A. was named trustee of this educational trust.
DONALD G. AND PAULINE (POLLY) SPEICH
SCHOLARSHIP FUND APPLICATION
NEILLSVILLE, WISCONSIN/GREENWOOD, WISCONSIN
Application Due: March 1st, 2016
Turn in to the Guidance Office
Name: _______________________________________________________________
(First)
(Middle)
(Last)
Home Address: _____________________________________________________
Telephone: ______________________
Birthdate: ______________________
(Month)(Day)(Year)
Parents Names ______________________________________________________
Number of People in Household: ________________________________________
What are your plans after High School? _____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
If you are going on to school, what program will you study? _____________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How will you use this education in your future career? _________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
How do you plan to finance your schooling? _________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What percent of the cost is your responsibility? _______________________________________
What is your parent’s percent of the cost? ____________________________________________
Other? _______________________________________________________________________
List other scholarships you have been awarded and the amount of each. ___________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Record your participation in school, community, civic and other activities.
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Grade 12
Enumerate any outstanding achievements in music, speech, science, sports, or other areas.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
1.
Write an essay in which you tell the selection committee of the Donald and Pauline
Speich Memorial Scholarship Fund of your personal qualifications, your school and community
activities and accomplishments, and why you are interested in this scholarship. It would be
appreciated if you could discuss your financial situation, need for scholarship, etc.
2.
List any courses which you have taken which could be considered as college preparatory
or advanced areas of study. Comment on these classes and tell how you feel they have prepared
you for your chosen field or college in general.
3.
In reading and evaluating your application, the scholarship committee hopes to gain as
complete a picture of you as possible. However, our knowledge of you is necessarily limited to
the information you provide to us. Please use this page to tell us anything about you that you
think we should know about your qualification and/or need for the Donald G. and Pauline Speich
Memorial Scholarship Fund.
4.
To enable the scholarship committee to know your academic and extracurricular interests
better, please respond, in essay form, to one of the following.
a.
Describe an intellectual experience of the past two years that has given you great
satisfaction.
b.
Which activity in or out of school is most meaningful to you? Why?
5.
If you were given the opportunity to spend a day with any one person, living, deceased,
or fictional, with whom would you choose and why? (We are interested here not so much in
whom you choose, but in how you use your choice to illustrate something important about
yourself, your values, the kind of person you are, or hope to become.)
IMPORTANT: Three written recommendations are needed from non-relatives, including a) a
civic leader b) a business leader c) one of your own choosing.
Have your references send their recommendations to the following address by the
application deadline:
Greenwood Junior-Senior High
Attn: Speich Selection Committee
306 West Central Avenue
Greenwood, WI 54437-9470
Application Deadline: MARCH 1st, 2016
NOTE: You may be asked to attend a personal interview with the committee.
Please attach an additional page with any other pertinent information, financial or otherwise, that
you would like the scholarship committee to know.
THANK YOU,
My signature below authorizes members of the Donald G. and Pauline (Polly) Speich
Scholarship Committee to view my official school records. It is also understood that all
information and references provided to the Committee will be used for the exclusive purpose of
awarding Donald G. and Pauline (Polly) Speich Scholarships and that this information will
remain the confidential property of the Committee and will not be revealed or released to any
other person or organization. (If the student is a minor, a parent must also sign.)
___________________________________
Signature of Student
Date
__________________________________
Signature of Parent (If required)
Date
Return to Student Services
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For Office Use Only
Application received at _____________ on _____________________________, 20___.
Received By: _______________________________