Bernice Link Scholarship/Fellowship in Gerontology

Mrs. Link, a lifelong resident of Wichita, graduated from the University of Illinois. She was vacationing in Colorado when a United Airlines executive noticed her and recruited her on the spot to become a stewardess. In a young airline industry that was still defining itself, Mrs. Link, who went by the nickname Bunny, was chosen the first secretary of the Airline Stewardess Association in 1945. She caught the eye and, ultimately, the heart of a young United pilot from Chicago, George Link, whom she married in 1945. After the war, they returned to Wichita, where George finished his degree at Wichita University. They started a family, raising two sons and a daughter.

Active in the Junior League of Wichita, Mrs. Link worked for the Community Planning Council and later for the state Department on Aging. She embarked on a successful real estate career in 1978 that sustained her through retirement 10 years later. Preceded in death by her husband, Mrs. Link died in 2008, just a month short of her 85th birthday. The fund named for her provides scholarships and fellowships for students enrolled in the WSU College of Health Professions, department of gerontology.