$150,000 Fenstermacher donation to Minnesota West honors 2 favorite teachers

WORTHINGTON — Although John “Jack” Fenstermacher Jr. went on to earn a grasp’s diploma, serve within the U.S. Military and change into a venture engineer for Fluidyne Engineering, he by no means forgot his yr at Minnesota West Neighborhood & Technical School — and now $150,000 from his property will go to the varsity he cherished a lot.

Jack was a scholar at Minnesota West — then known as Worthington Junior School — throughout the 1949-1950 college yr, and thought of two of the academics there to be the very best he’d had in his nine-year educational profession. They have been Marcella Gosch, who taught freshman-level English, and Richard Solberg, who taught chemistry and physics on the college.

Jack died in 2017

and not using a will, and it took a while for his brother Joe Fenstermacher to get the property sorted out, however he knew Jack had wished to honor his favourite academics and the varsity he’d cherished.

“He was so impressed with them, he simply stored speaking about how good they have been,” Joe stated of his brother. “He and I’d discuss and he would inform me how these two academics have been so vital to him, and set the sample of his life.”

Jack was a wonderful scholar all through his training, enjoying the baritone horn in band and turning into the valedictorian at Worthington Excessive Faculty in 1949 regardless of stiff competitors. He was additionally a three-sport athlete, a category officer and, as Joe recalled, was additionally common together with his classmates.

Jack’s favourite academics mirrored his lifelong pursuits, and whereas he was tempted to review English in school, he took the scientific path to a profession as an alternative, incomes a bachelor of science diploma in ceramic engineering from Iowa State College and a Grasp of Science diploma in ceramic engineering from Pennsylvania State College. However he by no means stopped loving literature.

Even after he developed dementia in his later years, Jack remained an omnivorous reader, going by each single guide within the library at his assisted residing facility earlier than he died, Joe stated. He’d learn till midnight after which go to mattress, and he remembered quite a lot of what he’d learn, too.

Jack was drafted into the U.S. Military in 1953, and ultimately turned a baritone participant with the 71st Infantry Division Band. He was honorably discharged in 1955.

He labored for Hazel Atlas in Pennsylvania, Ford Motor Firm in Michigan and Amphenol-Borg in Illinois, earlier than returning to Minnesota in 1971 to work for Fluidyne. Whereas he by no means married, Jack cared deeply for his household, and made positive to get to each household gathering, whether or not it was a marriage, funeral or reunion.

“Jack was very a lot part of my life all the way in which alongside,” Joe stated. “He was an awesome massive brother.”

Jack’s donation will go towards the Minnesota West endowment, and the curiosity earned will probably be shared between the English, Chemistry and Physics departments to supply new studying alternatives for college students, stated Treva Graves, government director of the Minnesota West Basis. That would imply subject journeys, tools or different dietary supplements to the curriculum.

“We’re so blessed to have obtained such a tremendous reward,” Graves stated.