$1.2 million bequest to provide scholarships at Manchester 

The widow of a 1947 Manchester graduate has left a $1.2 million gift to the University in memory of her husband.

The Keith Kindell Hoover Memorial Scholarship Fund will provide scholarships to Manchester students at the direction of Gerda W. Hoover, who died in 2019.

Keith Hoover studied communication studies at Manchester and later earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Bethany Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in psychology from Northwestern University. 

While studying abroad at the University of Hamburg, Germany, Keith Hoover met Waltraud Gerda Wolff. The two married in 1952 and settled in Lombard, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

Keith Hoover maintained a clinical psychology therapy practice and taught college-level classes. His passion was designing, building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes. He died in 2003. 

Gerda became an American citizen and earned a master’s degree in German literature from Northwestern. She taught high school and college German. A prolific writer, she published four books of poems and stories.

“Leaving such a generous estate gift to his alma mater was a wonderful way for Gerda to honor Keith’s memory,” said Melanie Harmon, vice president for advancement at Manchester. “That legacy is now part of Manchester’s endowment and it will help educate students for generations to come.” 

Gifts to an endowment fund are permanently invested to supply a steady, annual source of funds for an enduring impact. Many donors choose to create a fund in honor of a loved one -- to commemorate a family legacy or an individual. An endowment can be restricted for particular purposes or unrestricted, at the request of the donor.

For information about creating an endowment, call the Office of Advancement at 260-982-5412.

For the media
To arrange an interview with Melanie Harmon, call 260-982-5412.