David Wennes Memorial Scholarship

Holidays are especially difficult for those whose memories of that time are associated with a painful loss. On November 26, 1999—the day after Thanksgiving—the Rev. Dr. Howard E. “Howie” Wennes and his wife Mary lost their son David to depression and addiction at the age of 27. Davy left behind many good memories. He was lovingly described as a “creative writer, dreamer, athlete, son, brother, cousin and loyal friend to many.” Deeply grounded in their faith, Howie and Mary faced their pain and shared their grief with their Christian family at-large. That family was truly large, since Howie was serving at the time as bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

The David Wennes Memorial Scholarship is an endowed scholarship that resulted from the love that flowed from the many friends who empathized with the Wennes’ loss. But it was one person in particular who immediately took action to create this memorial, and that was Davy’s cousin and close friend, Jeff Jirele. Jeff was a State Farm Insurance agent in Arizona who knew how to get things done. Using his matching gift privilege from State Farm and working in partnership with CLU, he personally ensured an annual award in Davy’s name. The announcement of the David Wennes Memorial Scholarship was a Christmas gift that same year from Jeff to the Wennes family.

The circle of support soon widened. In 2001 as Bishop Wennes was preparing to retire, members throughout the Synod were invited to show their love and respect for his years of service in various ways. Many chose to send gifts to the scholarship. One of the attractions was the intent of the scholarship itself, which was “to provide help to young adults who have a love for the creative arts and are familiar with the tough struggles of life.”

Howie and Mary Wennes’ lives became intertwined with CLU in other ways in the years that followed. After he retired Howie was invited to serve as assistant to the president for University ministries. Later, he served two separate terms as interim president of CLU and worked skillfully with the administrative team. Howie and Mary, together and individually, served in leadership positions for the ELCA throughout the world. Howie was awarded CLU’s Christus Award in 2009 for his efforts at strengthening the tie between the church and CLU.

The recipient of the endowed David Wennes Memorial Scholarship must be an upper-division English major who has shown a gift for creative writing or other artistic expression. The selection of the first recipient was a poignant event, with the entire Wennes family and Jeff Jirele present to meet the student chosen to represent Davy’s creative spirit.