As told by Doug Whittle, ‘73

One of our three grandchildren, Evan Patterson, was born seven years ago with Down syndrome.

A UNI classmate, Julie Weilbrenner Bohnsack, ‘92, saw a photograph we had posted on social media when he was three years old and fell in love with Evan’s trademark smile.

Julie’s career was spent teaching special education, both to students as well as future special education teachers. She is also an accomplished quilt and textiles artist who has won several international awards for her artistic creations. Julie contacted us and asked if she could create a special portrait quilt based on the photo of Evan, and we of course said yes.

Dianne and I discussed various ways to express our appreciation to Julie for this amazing gift, which recently traveled to international quilting shows for a full year. We wanted to say thanks in a way that had lasting value and meaning. We started with a one-time scholarship for a UNI student majoring in special education to honor Julie’s career and her contributions as an educator. After renewing the gift for several years, we decided this past year to endow the Evan Patterson Scholarship as a permanent gift to UNI, meaning that a Panther special education student will receive a scholarship from the interest of the gift each year.

As we’ve watched our grandson grow and blossom over these seven years, we are in awe of the impact special education teachers can make on children with special needs. We can think of no better way to honor Evan, our friend Julie and all the special education teachers who have directly impacted Evan. This scholarship enables us to support the preparation of tomorrow’s teachers in a much-needed field, knowing firsthand how greatly any one teacher can touch so many lives.

Every time we walk by the quilt proudly displayed in our home, Dianne and I are reminded of the impact UNI has had on our lives — not only in our careers as teachers, but equally important, through lifelong friendships that started on UN’s campus. Evan’s parents, Matt and Blair Patterson, ‘99, are both UNI graduates and like us have experienced the impact of UNI on their careers and friendships over the years. The scholarship recipients we have the honor of meeting remind us that teacher education at UNI remains strong. We look forward to continuing our support of UNI education through additional endowed scholarships in the years to come.

Doug & Dianne Whittle
UNI class of 1973

This year’s Evan Patterson Scholarship recipient is Allison Dailey, who is majoring in early childhood education and minoring in special education and social and emotional learning.

"I am very grateful for being chosen as the recipient for the Evan Patterson Scholarship. This will allow me to put the majority of my focus on my studies, as it will reduce the amount of time I will need to work. I believe this will help me be the most successful teacher for my future students. Again, I greatly appreciate the honor of being picked to receive this scholarship."

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