Eugene Wendt
Environmental protection is a priority for Eugene Wendt and his wife, Shirley, who have supported environmental causes for many years. With that in mind, the couple made a gift of $50,000 to establish the Penne-Bradley Scholarship in the K-State Department of Landscape Architecture.
“Landscape architecture is in a very precise place to contribute immensely to addressing the environmental problems we have in an over-crowded world,” Eugene said. “It is one of the few fields that really can help us mitigate those difficulties. It’s an incredibly important field at the present time.”
Eugene graduated from K-State in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He worked in the state of Washington for a time before returning to K-State to teach and, in 1970, earn a master’s degree in architecture. He was an associate professor of architecture at K-State and retired in 1997.
Shirley was employed at Kansas Farm Bureau for many years, also retiring in 1997.
“Establishing this scholarship is a dream that started well over 20 years ago,” Eugene said. “It occurred to me at one point that is would be nice to be able to continue teaching even after I quit teaching.”
The Wendts decided to name the scholarship in honor of their children, Penne Ainsworth and Bradley Wendt.
Preference in awarding the scholarship is given to rural students whose families are directly involved in the farming profession, or to American Indian, African-American or Hispanic students.
“We are trying to reach segments of society that haven’t had the opportunities that others have,” Eugene said. “Kids from farming communities, like the one I grew up in, are finding it more and more difficult to attend college. We wanted to give them a chance. Without a scholarship, I might never have been able to attend college. So I look at this as being able to help somebody who might be in the same position that I was to get a leg up on life. Simple as that.”
“I greatly appreciate the generosity that Mr. Wendt has expressed through this scholarship,” said Jameon Schwarz, a recipient of the Penne-Bradley Scholarship from Carlton, Kansas. “The fields of landscape architecture and architecture can always have more interaction between them. Mr. Wendt has done an excellent job in expressing his interest in this interaction.”
“This very generous gift has led to the establishment of this much-needed scholarship,” said Dennis Law, professor and dean, College of Architecture, Planning and Design. “The Wendts are providing an unselfish example of assistance to worthy students in their quest for a quality education. It is a great example of a lifetime legacy.”
Eugene hopes that the Penne-Bradley Scholarship will be used as a recruiting tool, particularly in minority communities. He believes that the sensitivity American Indians have for the land is something that could be well expressed in landscape architecture.
“My philosophy of architecture is that architecture and the land need to be one. It’s going to become very difficult because we’re going to have to put more and more people on less and less land,” Eugene said. “There are some challenges there that I don’t have the answers to. Hopefully somebody in the future will.”
Reprinted Courtesy of KSU Foundation