Velma L. Wallace Scholarship for Student Athletes

Velma Lunt Wallace was born and raised in Wichita, where she graduated from Wichita Business College. She then joined Cessna Aircraft Company as executive secretary, where she met and later married Dwane L. Wallace. Mr. Wallace would go on to become president and then chairman of the company, retiring in 1975.

Committed to their community, the Wallaces were eager to make a difference in the lives of students, both remembering how they had worked their way through school. They established the Dwane L. and Velma L. Wallace Endowment, which supports scholarships for engineering students and provides funds for the College of Engineering.

Mrs. Wallace wanted to continue assisting students in other areas of the university, so she created this fund for scholarships for student-athletes. Awards are made annually to full-time students participating in any varsity sport. Other scholarship funds endowed by Mrs. Wallace assist WSU students majoring in education and music. Mrs. Wallace died in 2012. Her husband died in 1989.