William Schmidt

Bill Schmidt retired from UWL in 1989. Upon that occasion, he established the William & Georgene Schmidt Scholarship Fund in Education to honor his and his wife’s education careers for students majoring in elementary education and secondary education.

Bill passed away in October 2020, at the age of 93. He was born in St. Olaf, IA. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1946, and from there enrolled at Luther College where he played baseball and pitched for the team. He graduated from Luther in 1950 and began a long and successful career in education. He taught and coached in Thornton, IA; taught, coached, and functioned as principal in Clermont, IA; and was high school principal at Viroqua, WI from 1956-1959. Along the way, he received his M.A. degree from the University of Iowa in 1954.

In 1959 Bill began his career at UW-La Crosse. He held positions as an instructor of secondary education, Associate Professor in the College of Education, and Director of Student Teaching and Internships. He completed his career as Interim Dean of the College of Education, retiring in 1989. Bill was an extremely dedicated educator, dedicated not only to the university but most especially to the students he served. A testament to his belief in education is that all three of his sons enjoyed careers in public education as instructors and administrators. He always demanded hard work, and honesty, but of course, when it was time to play, it was time to play.