$1 Million Gift Supports Scholarships and “Library of the 21st Century”

Joyce Louise Redman, longtime Waterloo, Iowa school teacher, has left a lasting impact on the mission of Wartburg Seminary through her estate. The more than $1 million dollar gift will provide an endowed scholarship for future students, support programs vital to our mission, and will help Wartburg move forward with plans for the “Library of the 21st Century.”

The Joyce Louise Redman Endowed Scholarship has been established in the WTS Endowment which will provide tuition funding for future generations of Lutheran pastors and deacons. A portion of Ms. Redman’s gift will also support the remodeling of Reu Memorial Library as a “library for the 21st century,” part of the rebuilding of Fritschel Hall slated to begin in late 2022.

“We are deeply honored to be stewards of Ms. Redman’s legacy,” WTS President Rev. Dr. Kristin Largen said. “As a schoolteacher who loved books and reading, we believe this is a great way to honor Joyce’s life of teaching.”

The redesign of Reu Memorial Library is shaped around a re-envisioned hub for learning. The anchor to this vision is access to the largest digital theological library in the world. All students, regardless of location or degree track will have full access to this library with over 500,000 volumes, including all books assigned for courses. (This itself presents a huge cost savings to students who are no longer required to purchase course books!) The remodeled space on the second floor will include expanded and fully accessible quiet student areas, and the basement will house a greatly enlarged climate-controlled rare book room to preserve our treasured Wartburg history.

Ms. Redman was born in Milbank, South Dakota in 1928, and died in January 2021. She received degrees from Wartburg College in Waverly, Saint John’s University in Minnesota, and Clarke College in Dubuque. Ms. Redman was a teacher at Waterloo Iowa Elementary schools for 35 years. She also taught in the Lutheran Youth Center in Alaska and at a residential center in Waverly, IA.

Ms Redman’s generosity also supported Wartburg College, Iowa Public Radio, Iowa Public Television and the Waterloo Public Library.