Damkoehler family establishes its second endowed scholarship at UW-Green Bay

A family that is well respected throughout the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay community has established a second endowed scholarship to support the academic and creative endeavors of Art and Design students at the University.

The family of UW-Green Bay Art scholarship namesake David L. Damkoehler recently established this second scholarship in memory of his wife, who died in 2011. The four sons of David and Edna Damkoehler — David (Toni), Lee, Jay (Joann) and Mark (Cheri) — share in creating the Edna Walter Damkoehler Endowed Scholarship, which will help a UW-Green Bay Design student pursue his or her educational and creative goals through their generous support.

The late David L. and Edna Damkoehler founded Damkoehler Chemical and Paper, Inc., in Oconto. Their son, David Jr., is a professor emeritus of Art at UW-Green Bay; and his wife, Toni Damkoehler, is an associate professor of Design at the University.

“We felt that establishing a design scholarship in my mother’s name at UW-Green Bay was deeply appropriate, as she was a student and strong supporter of the University,” David Damkoehler said. “This scholarship is a memorial that will continue to help students who are pursuing careers that are about creativity, discipline and insight — all elements that informed our mother’s every action and thought.”

An ardent UW-Green Bay supporter, Edna Walter Damkoehler demonstrated her passion for the University in many ways. Her personalized license plate read “UWGB4U,” which is a promise she continues to fulfill through her legacy, said Beverly Carmichael, Assistant Chancellor for University Advancement.

The Edna Walter Damkoehler award is the second such scholarship established by the Damkoehler family, which also is the donor for the David L. Damkoehler Scholarship. That endowed scholarship is open to Art majors who graduated from a high school in the counties of Brown, Door, Forest, Marinette, Oconto or Shawano. It was established in 1998.

Edna Walter Damkoehler was a charter member of the UW-Green Bay Founders Association and an enthusiastic supporter of UW-Green Bay. She took numerous German courses with the late Prof. Emeritus W. Werner Prange, and for many years took a full schedule of UW-Green Bay Learning in Retirement Courses. Her husband, David L. Damkoehler, died in 1983. The younger David Damkoehler credits both his parents for inspiring his academic and career path.

“Our mother was an accomplished painter, craftsperson and creative bricoleur,” Damkoehler recalled. “When we were growing up in Oconto she spent one day of the week, usually Thursday, in her studio, or painting en plein air out in the Oconto countryside with a group of like-minded women. Our grandmother and our father would take care of us while she was painting. Both our parents valued creativity and learning as it applied to business, art and life.”

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