The History of the Jean and Stewart Thiemkey Scholarship Foundation
The Jean and Stewart Thiemkey Scholarship Foundation was established in 1999. It was set up to honor the memory of its name bearers to assist young minds in their pursuit of higher education. Jean was an educator for 34 years in the Lapeer High School system while Stewart dedicated 41 years of his life to the same school. Stewart and Jean were married on June 9, 1950.
Stewart began his teaching career in a country schoolhouse where he arrived each morning at 6:00 am to start up the coal fire. He received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and his master’s degree from the University of Michigan. His major and passion was American History with a special interest in the Civil War. He was very active with student extra curricular activities in addition to running the time clock for the basketball games for many years.
Jean began teaching as Miss Anderson in Lapeer in 1942. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Eastern Michigan University. She loved grammar and American Literature. Later in her career she began a reading program geared for speed and increased comprehension. Jean was often seen at the concession stands Friday nights at the football and basketball games to help the students raise money. She was also deeply committed to helping students get scholarships to further their education.
Jean and Stewart were both committed to helping students learn to the best of their abilities. They encouraged the struggling students and challenged the gifted ones. The JST Foundation and the Thiemkey family hope that each recipient of the scholarship will share the passion and the commitment to education portrayed by Jean & Stewart Thiemkey.