University News

Louise Hofsess Huseman `66, who spent her career as a high school teacher in Mt. Sterling, IL.
[Download Print-Quality Image]

$750,000 Bequest Endows Four Scholarships for Brown County WIU Students

April 23, 2026

Share Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University students from Brown County will now benefit from four new scholarships created or enhanced through a generous bequest to the Western Illinois University Foundation, honoring a local teacher's belief in the transformational power of education.

The bequest was established by Louise Hofsess Huseman `66, who spent her career as a high school teacher in Mt. Sterling, IL. Her husband, George `66 `87 `91 `03, earned four degrees from WIU and taught History at the University.

The estate gift establishes the Louise Huseman Scholarship for Language Arts, the George Huseman Geography Scholarship and the George Huseman History Scholarship. The new scholarships, as well as the existing Mary McCutcheon Hofsess Scholarship, each received a six-figure contribution, ensuring long-term support for WIU students from the region.

The scholarships will assist students from Brown County who are studying English, History, Geography or Biological Sciences (pre-med) at WIU. Each scholarship is renewable for up to four years and will be awarded to each student at least $2,000 annually. The endowments will provide ongoing financial support for students from the region who demonstrate academic promise and an interest in these fields.

The George Huseman Geography Scholarship also received a significant investment from George's life insurance policy, bringing the couple's total support for these scholarship funds to nearly one million dollars.

"This generous bequest will have a lasting impact on students from Brown County," Amy Crosby, interim executive director of the Western Illinois University Foundation said. "By establishing these endowed scholarships, the Huseman and Hofsess families have created an enduring legacy that will support generations of WIU students as they pursue their educational and professional goals."

The Huseman scholarships are open to incoming and current WIU students. Students interested in applying for these scholarships must submit their applications by Friday, May 15. Applications can be submitted in the WIU Scholarship Portal, at wiu.academicworks.com/.

"We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Huseman for thinking of the students of WIU and Brown County when establishing her will," Brown County High School Principal Pollee Craven said. "Her generosity will have a tremendous impact on generations of Hornet-Leathernecks."

To learn more about supporting WIU through planned gifts, visit wiu.giftplans.org or contact Crosby at al-crosby@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing