Vanessa A. Baer Scholarship Fund Established

September 23, 2005

September 23, 2005, Greencastle, Ind. - The family and friends of Vanessa A. Baer are establishing a scholarship in her honor. Baer, a 21-year-old sociology and anthropology major and education minor from Urbana, Indiana, was killed in a plane crash September 10 in Wabash County, Indiana. The accident also killed her friend, 25-year-old James D. Swan, and his parents, John and Kathy Swan, all of Wabash.

The Vanessa A. Baer Scholarship will be awarded annually to a female DePauw student who exemplifies Vanessa's love of the University, and who embraces the ideals that she lived by.

"We have had many people ask how they can honor Vanessa's memory and make future DePauw students aware of her unique spirit and many talents," says Jay Howell, a close relative of Ms. Baer and 1971 graduate of DePauw. "The outpouring of grief and emotion that has followed Vanessa's untimely death has been remarkable. The Scholarship creates a way for those who knew and loved Vanessa to direct their energies and resources to enriching opportunities for future students at DePauw, a place Vanessa loved so much."

Contributions to the Vanessa A. Baer Scholarship Fund may be mailed to DePauw University's development office at 300 E. Seminary Street, Greencastle, Indiana 46135 or by calling (800) 446-5298. Please note on your check or to the representative that your contribution is for the Vanessa Baer Scholarship.

Vanessa's sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Beta Theta Pi fraternity are planning events in the coming weeks that will raise funds for the scholarship. For information, send an e-mail here.

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