Niswonger Scholars: ‘Positive payback’

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It was a bit of a reward as nine Niswonger Scholars visiting Van Wert got the chance to sit down for a nice meal at Willow Bend Country Club Wednesday evening after three days of hard work on local community service projects. It was also an opportunity for Van Wert leaders to receive positive feedback on their own community from the young people.

In addition to the community service aspect, the visit allowed the nine scholarship recipients, all from east Tennessee communities, to get to know the city where scholarship program founder Scott Niswonger and his wife, Nikki, grew up … and the hometown they still love.

Community is vitally important to Niswonger and, in fact, is part of his “Learn, Earn and Return” philosophy that drives the Niswonger Foundation’s charitable endeavors, which has funded community-based projects and educational programs since its creation in 2001.

That philosophy urges young people to get a good education — something the Niswonger Scholars program promotes — then go out and get a good job and, finally, provide a positive payback to the communities from which they came.

That community service ethos was played out this week as the young people shoveled mulch, hauled fertilizer and weeded out flowerbeds in the local parks, in addition to other community service projects. Despite the hard work, all nine students said they had also come to love the Niswongers’ hometown, and appreciated why the couple brings students back to Van Wert.

“It’s a beautiful community,” said Matthew Sheppard, a freshman at Clemson University majoring in industrial engineering, who added, “The people are really friendly here.”

The other students agreed, with Lillie Seal, a sophomore at Lincoln Memorial University majoring in elementary education, going so far as to call Van Wert a “perfect” community. “It’s got everything,” she said.

Other Niswonger Scholars who made the biennial trek to Van Wert included Alex Croghan, who just completed his junior year at Lipscomb University, where he majors in biology/pre-medicine; Jordan Frye, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee majoring in social work; Alex Smyth, a sophomore at East Tennessee State University majoring in mathematics; Chris Steadman, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee majoring in pre-med; Gage Armstrong, a freshman at the University of Tennessee majoring in biology; Ivory Shelton, a freshman at Wake Forest University majoring in chemistry/pre-med; and Richard Vradenburgh, a freshman at Tennessee Technological University majoring in mathematics.

While the Niswonger scholars were profuse in their admiration for Van Wert and its people, the admiration was mutual from those with whom they worked.

Van Wert City Parks Director Sue Heppeard was very pleased with the help she received from the young scholars, while Louise Hartwig, a Master Gardener who heads efforts to maintain the Children’s Garden, announced during the dinner that a tree planted in the garden by Niswonger Scholars would be dedicated to them, and showed off a plaque created for that purpose.

Niswonger, a 1965 graduate of Van Wert High School who went on to earn an engineering degree at Purdue University, is co-founder of Landair Transport Inc., in which he remains the majority shareholder, and also is chairman emeritus of Forward Air Corporation, a company he also founded.

In addition to providing $3 million to the local performing arts center that bears his name, Niswonger has also provided, through his foundation, millions of dollars for development and educational projects in eastern Tennessee.

While community service has been the focus of the Niswonger Scholars’ trip, the students also have had a chance to do a little sightseeing, including a tour of the renovated Van Wert County Common Pleas Courtroom, but will do more of that today.

The Niswongers will provide the nine students with a tour of some of their favorite places in the city, including the Central Insurance Fire Museum, Brumback Library and a stop at Balyeat’s Coffee Shop for “beef and noodles on mashed” at noon.