Blended gift honors legacy of
alumnae's families

In 2007, Sharelle Smith Leick (attd. '61-'64) and her husband, George, moved from Seattle, Wash., to her family farm in northwest Missouri and built a home for their retirement on Smith Acres, where Sharelle's paternal grandfather had settled over 100 years earlier.

"My parents knew hard times and good times, but they always found joy in their lives," said Sharelle Leick. "My mother, (Florine Ware Smith, a 1931 College High/Horace Mann graduate) was known for her smile and her laugh, while my dad, Homer, had a dry sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye."

In her parents' memory, Sharelle and George Leick have endowed the Homer O. and Florine (Ware) Smith Scholarship. While making their estate plans, the Leicks included a provision in their trust for the Northwest Foundation that will build up the existing scholarship endowment after their lifetimes.

"My parents' interests were many, so we will not limit their scholarship to one discipline," Sharelle said. "We wish to honor them and their families whose roots are in the land of Nodaway and Andrew counties and recognize family members who remain on the farm as well as those whose lives have taken them into careers in education, engineering, business or medicine."

The scholarship, with preference to graduates of Nodaway County and Andrew County high schools who choose to attend Northwest, will be awarded based on academic achievement and financial need.

"To the future students who receive this scholarship, we wish the very best and hope that they may enjoy their educational experience and the reward it offers throughout their lives," Sharelle said.

Sharelle Leick was a CPA in Seattle for 20 years before retiring in 2005 and holds a bachelor's in business education and master's degrees in business administration and tax. George Leick spent his 35-year career as a research scientist in wood technology at the Weyerhaeuser Company in the Seattle area working with lumber mills throughout the country to improve their manufacturing processes; he holds bachelor's and master's degrees in forestry.