Jerry and Sonja Wenger Music Scholarship Endowment

The Wenger family’s contribution to music has literally touched instrumentalists and vocalists across the country. From music stands and risers to acoustical backdrops, Wenger products have helped music makers perform their art since the company was launched in 1946 in a small Minnesota town. The Wenger Corporation was started by Jerry’s father, Harry, a beloved small town band director who was frustrated by a lack of functional equipment for musicians. He started solving musician’s problems in his garage, and one of his first inventions was a Sousaphone Chair, a device that helped students support the bulky instrument. In the company’s early years, Harry and his wife Ruth would travel to state music conventions and take orders for his inventions. He perfected a Choral Riser and Staging Systems.
When his son Jerry became CEO of Wenger Corporation, he combined the love of music with a strong business sense, and built the company to the successful national presence it is today. Jerry and Sonja found their way to Powell and made it home following travels in the west. They also found particular enjoyment in the attending musical performances at Northwest College. They endowed the Jerry and Sonja Wenger Music Scholarship to support NWC students, a gift that has touched the lives of many young musicians.
The Wenger family history is a classic American success story, the benefits of which they choose to share with Northwest College. In addition to providing the equipment NWC musicians use every day, the Wengers also underwrite their scholarships.