Northwest Media Release

Northwest Missouri State University has awarded the first Charles R. Derstler Scholarship established in memory of a 1949 alumnus.
Brett Goligoski, a sophomore animal science major from Richmond, will receive the scholarship for the 2014-2015 academic year. LaVon Derstler, the widow of

Charles, attended Northwest’s Academic Celebration in April to meet Goligoski, who is the daughter of Edward and Tami Goligoski.
The Charles R. Derstler Scholarship funds up to 30 credit hours per academic year. Eligible students must be a sophomore, junior or senior at Northwest and must have graduated from a Missouri high school in Caldwell or Ray counties, with first preference given to students pursuing an agricultural field of study.

Charles began attending Northwest in 1941 on the National Youth Administration program, and in 1942 he entered the U.S. Navy. After his military service, he returned to Northwest and completed a degree in business and industrial arts in 1949.

Charles began purchasing and selling farm property during the early 1950s, and farmed and raised cattle in rural Cameron; he died in 2011. LaVon earned an associate degree at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City. Now retired, LaVon had been employed by the Amoco Oil Company for 28 years.

The Charles R. Derstler Scholarship was made possible through gift annuities the Derstlers purchased from the Northwest Foundation as well as proceeds they gifted from the sales of their properties.

For more information about the Northwest Foundation or to make a gift to support Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or [email protected].