Honoring their parents’ legacy
A 1982 graduate of the College of Pharmacy, Dianne Eberlein attributes the completion of her degree to her mother. “My mother felt strongly that women should have an occupation of their own,” said Eberlein. “She was way ahead of her time in that way, and she always emphasized the importance of education.”
A mother to five daughters, Frances Eberlein began working before she graduated from high school and after she married Jack Eberlein they raised five daughters. “When my youngest sister was in high school, my mother went back to school in her 30s. She got her GED, attended community college, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the University,” said Eberlein. “She went on to fulfill her own destiny and even earned a master’s degree. Our father was a great support to my mother at a time when it was often frowned upon for women to earn an education and have a career.”
After graduating with an Occupational Therapy degree, Frances Eberlein devoted herself to helping children with special needs reach their full potential. Eberlein recalls her mother and father collaborating to help her students by creating adaptive devices in her father’s woodworking shop in the garage.
“My mother didn’t stop working until her mid-60s,” said Eberlein. “She retired and then went back to be a substitute teacher for several years. We joked that there was never room in her car for us because it was filled with children’s books and materials she used to improve the lives of her students.”
When their mother passed away in 2018, Eberlein and her four sisters established a scholarship in memory of their parents—a lasting tribute to their dedication and commitment to higher education. “The scholarship takes into account the circumstances of the applicant’s life,” said Eberlein. “My mother was so grateful for her education and my parents were a supportive team. As siblings, we all learned a great deal about compassion from them. I believe that compassion is what drew my mother to a career in occupational therapy.”
Eberlein describes the process of setting up the scholarship as as easy and straight forward. “It’s been wonderful to honor our parents in this way,” she said. “Speaking for myself, my Pharmacy degree gave me a foundation for logical thinking—and my education gave me confidence that I’ve brought to everything else I’ve done in my career. For others considering establishing or contributing to a scholarship, it’s a way to appreciate what has been offered to us and to make sure that our professions stay vibrant. As sisters, we feel very lucky to do this and to give others a bit of help when they need it.”