The Washington Cornhuskers have a long tradition of support for scholarships to UNL through the University of Nebraska Foundation. Washington Cornhuskers members who have a student who attends or will be attending UNL should contact Lynne Cobb, scholarship chair through our contact page. All our members’ UNL students will be considered for our local club’s scholarships!
Our chapter’s focus on scholarships was started by Jan Lightner and Roxy Elliott in 2000. We now have two fully funded scholarships, so the funds we add to them only increase the amount or number of scholarships given each year. In 2012 we funded our first Legends Scholarship and have continued to do so most years. Legends scholarships are given to freshman, to recruit the best & brightest to UNL, and all our scholarships are given to deserving Washington State student who are attending UNL. Below are more details of the three scholarships we support and past recipients:
1. Robert & Ruth Paine Scholarship – started in 2000
The late Bob Paine was an early leader of the Washington Cornhuskers in the formative years of the club. He was a retired USAF Lt. Colonel before he went to work for Boeing. As an undergraduate, he was president of his fraternity, Alpha Gamma Rho, and a member of Innocent’s Society. His wife Ruth is still active with the group.
Recent recipients include:
- Michael Bania, Issaquah, WA, studying Mathematics
- Megan Pecha, Bellevue, WA, studying Civil Engineering
- Sophia Podhaisky, Richland, WA, studying Marketing
- Paige Tiedeman, Maple Valley, WA, studying Marketing
2. Jan & Gene Lightner Scholarship – started in 2011
Jan Lightner recently stepped down as our first Scholarship Chair. She led us to where we are now with three scholarship funds. Both Jan & her late husband Gene received the Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska Alumni Association. Gene Lightner was a Chemical Engineering major at UNL, where he received his BSc and MSc. He was active in his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, and AIChE. He served in the USArmy and received his first patent (it’s what is now called FoamCore) in 1964. He went back to school (University of Idaho) for his Ph.D. and has been involved in research ever since and currently holds ~40 US plus several foreign patents.
His most recent ones involve alternative fuels from bio-mass. He decided several years ago to donate his patents to the University of Nebraska Foundation. They offer them to professors for further development. He is recognized as a Senior Member of the Instrument Society of America, he won an IR 100 Award, he won the Alumni Achievement Award from NAA, he participated in Master’s Week at UNL (sponsored by Mortar Board and Innocents), and has served as President of UNL alumni chapters in St. Louis, MO, and Philadelphia, PA.
Recent recipients include:
- Mason Baker, Mercer Island, WA, studying Business Admin
- Peyton Thomas, Newcastle, WA, studying Sports Media & Communication
- Alex Evenson, Sammamish, WA, studying Biological Systems Engineering
- Megan Pecha, Bellevue, WA, studying Civil Engineering
3. Nebraska Legends Scholarship – 2013 through 2019
Recipients:
- Andrew Martin, Everett, WA, studying PGA Golf Management
- Stephanie Yerigan, Stanwood, WA, studying Pre-Physical Therapy
- Megan Pecha, Bellevue, WA, studying pre-engineering
- Bren Pfeifer, Fife, WA studying Athletic Training
- Sophia Podhaisky, Richland, WA, studying Marketing
- Lauren Phillips from Seabeck, WA, who is studying Criminal Justice
The Legends program has now been suspended, however we were proud to support this scholarship opportunity for many years.