Minnie Wasden Blood Elementary Education Scholarship Endowment

Until she was 13, Minnie Wasden Blood attended a three-room rural school in Penrose, WY, and then her parents built a two-room home in Cowley so she and her brothers and sisters could attend the only school available in that part of the Big Horn Basin. Though Minnie’s mother had only an 8th grade education and her father had only attended school for a few months, they were determined that their children should have an opportunity to learn.
Minnie graduated from high school in May of 1923, and from 1924-25 she rode the school bus to Powell to attend High School Normal Training so that she could begin teaching school. She taught a total of 21 years, in schools around the Big Horn Basin (many of them ranch-based rural schools). She finished her teaching career in Little Rock, Washington, where she and her husband moved after he retired.
Minnie was a pioneer in seeking an education, as she was one of the few students from her area to attend the University of Wyoming in Laramie for 2 years. She persisted in taking extension classes and college classes from Eastern Montana, University of Utah, University of Wyoming, and Central Washington State College. Sher received her degree in 1959 from the University of Wyoming; she was 53 years old.
Throughout her life, she inspired many children with her love for learning and her commitment to using knowledge, once gained, to help others. Three of her five children also became teachers.
Minnie would be happy to know that she was helping others to follow in her footsteps, especially those who share her deep love for learning and children. In setting up this Elementary Education Scholarship, Minnie’s family hopes to inspire recipients with their own excitement for a career that will make an indelible and lifelong impression on countless young lives.