Wilma was born and raised in Clinton, Iowa, and spent most of her life in Wichita. She was a life-long artist and proudly noted that “I am not a Sunday painter, I am not a hobby painter, I am a professional painter.” She painted more than 1,000 portraits and another 1,000 watercolor, oil and pastel paintings. She worked as a commercial artist and illustrator for Boeing Airplane Co. and McCormick-Armstrong Printing Co., both in Wichita. One of her paintings is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. This scholarship will serve as an ongoing tribute to her love of art and education. Scholarships are to be awarded to students enrolled in the College of Fine Arts, School of Art, Design and Creative Industries majoring in Studio Art, Graphic Design, Art History or Art Education.
