Eugene F. Wiesner Endowed Scholarship
Dr. Eugene F. Wiesner was born in July 1927 to a farming family in Kansas. Eugene married Helen Honas in 1950 and together they raised five children. In October 1950 he was drafted into the army and sent to the front lines of Korea. After being discharged, he returned to his family in Kansas and farmed for a year. Deciding that farming was not his life’s ambition and with the assistance of the G.I. bill, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in School Counseling. After teaching for four years, he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. In 1967, he and his family moved to Billings, Montana, where Dr. Wiesner taught at Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings) as a professor of Psychology for 20 years. Upon retiring in 1987, he became the director of St. Vincent de Paul second-hand store in Billings where he remained a steadfast volunteer into his 80s. In 1994, Dr. Wiesner established the Eugene F. Wiesner Scholarship Endowment to provide financial assistance to students majoring in psychology at MSU Billings. Dr. Wiesner passed away in July 2016 at age 89. His legacy will live on in the students who receive his scholarship. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 1993-1994.
Impact
“I chose MSUB because it was the school that made the most financial sense with the most logical location. However, I stayed at MSUB because it became a place that presented an abundance of opportunities for growth. Here, I build a new home and was introduced to people who soon became my family. I stayed because the environment matched my needs and fostered my leadership abilities so that I could become useful to the community on campus and within Billings. The university has allowed me to be an individual rather than a number where I have learned that my energy has the ability to allow me to adapt to many situations and circumstances. Through the support of faculty and staff, I have truly learned how to push and support myself, ultimately becoming a better student and professional. I want to thank you for the Eugene F. Wiesner Endowed Scholarship which will allow me to further my education process. With this money I will be able to attend school with a lower financial burden. Your graciousness is allowing me to continue on my path to my degree, goals, and desired career. Education, along with reaching my goals, is such an important thing to me. You have had a great impact on this and I appreciate it very much. I hope that someday I can do for someone else what you have done for me.” — Kristen W., Psychology and Human Services major