One of this year’s new COLUMNS scholarships is the David E. Schleif Memorial Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship is given to a student graduating from West Bend East or West who is planning a career in music performance or music education. It was created by friends and family of David Schleif, a long-time Music and German teacher who passed away earlier this year.
Here are some excerpts from a beautiful letter written by his wife, Mary, explaining why she thought this was a fitting legacy for her husband:
My husband passed away on Memorial Day at the age of 96. In 1956, he was invited to interview for a new teaching position in the West Bend public school system. He was hired to build a string orchestra program from the ground up. Later, he moved into teaching German. At the visitation for David, it was evident how many lives he had touched over many years.
His contributions reached beyond the public school system into the wider community. He directed the River City Irregulars and the German Blaskapelle. He gave private lessons in our home. He himself was a former member of at least two bands and three orchestras. In the 1960s, he and a friend partnered to add a classical music broadcast three times a week over our local radio station. People at David’s visitation told us that his influence lasted into adulthood in many ways and enriched their lives.
This scholarship is one more chance for David to share his love of music with a young person. It’s a fitting legacy for someone who loved teaching and who loved music as much as David Schleif.
