Howard Keim (second from right), president of Hesston College, and Vonnie Sieber (far right), vice president of Development, accept two checks for a planned memorial for Freedley Schrock from Peter Hartman (left to right), Wally Jantz, Belle Boyts, and Merrill Raber. Schrock served as an industrial arts instructor at Hesston College and Hesston Academy from 1944 to 1967.
One of the checks came from the widow of the late Marvin Schrock, one of Freedley Schrock’s sons. Marvin Schrock, who died in June 2007, was a member of Hesston Academy Class of 1952. Before he died, during contacts with several long-time friends from the academy and college, Schrock offered a $10,000 challenge gift to be matched by Hesston alumni for the memorial honoring his father.
The other check came from the Academy Class of 1952. During their 55th reunion at Homecoming Weekend in September 2007, class members voted unanimously to coordinate the challenge offered by Marvin Schrock. By early December 2008, nearly $16,000 had been raised from 155 Hesston College alumni.
Peter Hartman and his wife Marilyn (not pictured), Hesston; Belle Boyts, Hesston; and Merrill Raber, Newton, implemented the fundraising effort taken on by the Academy Class of 1952. The Hartmans also served as hosts of the class’ reunion a year ago.
Wally Jantz, Hesston, sang in a men’s quartet with Marvin Schrock back in the early 1950s. He represents those who were in contact with Schrock by phone during the last year of Schrock’s life, when the idea for a memorial for his father Freedley was birthed.
The memorial for Freedley Schrock, in the final design stage, will be placed southeast of the new Friesen Center for the Visual Arts. Dedication is planned during Homecoming Weekend 2009.
According to John Sharp, who is writing the centennial history book about Hesston College, “Freedley Schrock’s big smile and an abundance of good humor endeared him to the students he supervised or taught,” he said. “Students remember him as a caring and encouraging instructor.”
Merrill Raber added, “Freedley represents the many quiet behind-the-scenes faculty and staff who have had a significant impact of those of us who came through Hesston Academy and Hesston College.”