First UW-RF Willis Miller Memorial Scholarships awarded to local students

Seven UW-River Falls students from the Hudson area have been awarded the first Willis Miller Memorial Scholarships.

Miller, the former publisher of the Hudson Star-Observer who was with the newspaper for more than 60 years, was well known in the St. Croix Valley region and beyond as a newspaperman, historian and philanthropist. Upon his death in November 2008, Miller, 89, a lifelong supporter of the university, left $1,068,552 to UW-RF, the largest bequest in the university’s history.

Miller’s gift is being used to establish endowed scholarships, with preference given to students from the Hudson and North Hudson area including the towns of Hudson, St. Joseph and Troy. Applicants are required to write an essay on “How I Have Helped Make the Hudson Community a Better Place.”

The following UW-RF students are recipients of $2,000 Willis Miller Memorial Scholarships for the 2010-11 academic year: