Evansville Fund Pays Tribute to E. Susan Eager

In Honor of Women’s History Month

A woman’s love of her community prompted her to continue supporting its vitality long after her passing. In 1996, E. Susan Eager, Evansville, made the first gift to the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin to establish the Evansville Fund – a permanent endowment that gives back a portion of its annual earnings in the form of grants to support the arts, education, health and human services and historic preservation throughout Evansville.

Susan’s gift, along with the on-going generosity from community residents and the 16 named Family Funds, (see a list of them here) has allowed the fund to grow over time. To date, the fund has given back more than $186,000 to the community in the form of grants to qualifying charitable organizations that support projects that help make Evansville a great place to live.

Susan passed away at the age of 80 in 1998. She graduated from Evansville High School in 1936 and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1940. She graduated from officer’s school at Smith College, North Hampton, MA. Susan served in the United States Navy, First Class of Waves from 1942 to 1946 (the first WAVE from Rock County), and retired as Lieutenant Commander. Susan remained in the Reserves for an additional 33 years. She was employed by Northwestern University as an executive secretary to the Dean of Education, Baxter Travenal Pharmaceutical Company, State of Wisconsin, and by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism as a secretary. To her, however, Evansville was always her home.

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