George R. McGrail Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Joyce E. (Weidinger) McGrail
George R. McGrail was born and raised in the Billings, Montana, area. He graduated high school in 1955 from Billings Senior High School. He began his college career at Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings) in the fall of 1955. After attending two years, he quit college to work as a bookkeeper. In 1958 he married Joyce Weidinger. After much thought, he returned to EMC in 1961 and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in business education in 1963. In August 1964, he returned to EMC to teach accounting and business related courses. While teaching at EMC, one of his professors, Dr. Louis Veraldi, encouraged him to further his education. Dr. McGrail left EMC after one year and joined the accounting faculty at the University of Wyoming where he could do Ph.D. background work while teaching full-time. In 1964, he received his M.B.A. from the University of Denver and, in 1972, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. Dr. McGrail has taught on a continual basis since entering the teaching field in 1964. He is now an Emeritus Professor of the College of Business at the University of Wyoming. He has written more than 30 refereed publications, more than 30 research papers, and was responsible for four major grants while with the University of Wyoming. He received the Recognition of Service Award from the University of Wyoming, which has only been awarded twice in 40 years. In 2012, he was awarded the Recognition for Exceptional Achievement Award at MSU Billings. Dr. McGrail’s wife, Joyce, passed away in 2006. In her honor, Dr. McGrail established the George R. McGrail Endowed Scholarship in Memory of Joyce E. (Weidinger) McGrail in 2012. This endowment provides scholarship assistance to accounting majors at MSU Billings. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 2013-2014.
Impact
“I wish to express my sincere thanks for your support through the George R. McGrail Endowed Scholarship, which you established in memory of our wife, Joyce. I commit to honoring your generosity and your wife’s life through continued hard work and integrity in school, in my career, and in my personal life. I am majoring in accounting at MSU Billings, with plans to graduate in the spring. Upon graduation, I plan to study for and take the CPA exam and to get more real-world experience at an accounting firm. Beyond that, my plans are uncertain, although law school is one possibility. I’m excited for the future knowing that an accounting degree and CPA certification will be valuable in any career I pursue. I’m eager to further apply my education to support my family and community. Again, my sincere thanks for your help in creating a future of exciting possibilities.” — Dillon M., Accounting major