By: Joseph F. Jadick ‘85 

Alliance is my family’s hometown where my great grandparent’s home still stands at the corner of Freshley Road and Edison Street. So, coming to Mount Union seemed a natural fit for me. I still remember the exhilarating feeling I had the summer of 1981 when I was preparing to start my college experience, and I still have the Student Handbook, better known as the “baby book,” along with a hand typed welcome letter from my soon to be resident assistant. 

An additional factor that made Mount Union feel like the ideal fit for me was being awarded a piano scholarship and still being allowed to major in computer science. Piano has always been my passion while my professional goals were in the sciences, and Mount Union truly embodied the spirit of a liberal arts education by enabling me to pursue both during my college years.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned at Mount was it’s okay to not be proficient at everything. I was devastated my freshman year when I received a C on my first paper in College Writing and decided to drop the class, feeling I was failing. The professor encouraged me stay with the class, explaining a C grade was not that bad, and certainly not as bad as getting behind in credits. I kept the class and pulled off a B+. 

After graduating with a computer science degree, I pursued a 30-year career in information technology, working for three Fortune 500 companies. Upon retiring last year, I’ve now started a second career as a church musician, bringing my liberal arts experience at Mount Union full circle. Mount Union prepared me well to fulfill my professional goals and my life passion.

I would not have been able to attend Mount Union without financial aid. At the time I attended the school, it was known for being financially secure. During the subsequent 40 years, I’ve seen Mount Union’s financial endowment continue to grow through the generosity of alumni and others. I think this speaks well of the faith we all have in Mount Union and how important this institution is to providing opportunities to future generations. 

I am happy to endow a scholarship at Mount Union to help future students attend a university that will provide them with a myriad of opportunities to pursue their dreams and life goals. Additionally, I feel fortunate to be able to memorialize a classmate who epitomized the spirit of Mount Union through her passion for her field and achieving her life goals.  

Mr. Jadick recently endowed the Mary Lynn Wagoner Memorial scholarship in memory of Dr. Mary Lynn Wagoner ‘87 to commemorate her achievements in the field of psychology.