Medical students benefit from scholarship fund honoring Dr Karl Wegner
Wegner, a Pierre native, served as dean of the University of South Dakota Medical School from 1973 to 1980 and helped lead the medical school from two-year to four-year status in 1974.
Scholarships will be awarded to third or fourth year medical students intending to practice in the 7th District after they graduate. The 7th District includes Sioux Falls and nearby areas. In addition to his work with the medical school, Wegner practiced pathology in Sioux Falls for many years, starting in 1962. He died on April, 4, 2014.
The 7th District has pledged $100,000 to establish the endowed scholarship fund. Monies contributed by the 7th District will be matched by funds from the USD Sanford School of Medicine Endowment Campaign.
Dr. Paul Amundson, chair of the 7th District Scholarship Committee, explained the purpose of the 7th District in establishing the scholarship. “The district’s intent is to help underwrite the cost of medical education for students from South Dakota,” said Amundson. “And we felt strongly about honoring Dr. Wegner as many of our members had ties to Dr. Wegner, and because the medical community in this area and in the entire state owes so much to him.”
The medical school and the University of South Dakota Foundation appreciate the generosity and initiative of the 7th District, added Dr. Mary Nettleman, dean of the USD Sanford School of Medicine, who said “we are deeply grateful to the members of the 7th District of the SDSMA for establishing this scholarship for our deserving students. It is especially appropriate that it is named in honor of Dr. Wegner. Not only was Dr. Wegner a significant part of the medical school’s history, but he considered himself first and foremost a teacher, and the interests of our students were his paramount concern.”
Margaret Wegner, widow of Dr. Wegner, is elated at the generous and perpetual scholarship established in her husband’s name. “This ongoing scholarship program,” she added, “is especially gratifying and fitting because Karl considered his work as a teacher and the interaction he had with medical students to be the most important aspect of his professional life.”
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