The Prasse family--Marcia (seated left); Earl (seated right); and (left to right) Jill, Lisa and Kyle--meet with MechSE professors and staff.This July, the family of Mark Prasse (ME 1998) established a scholarship fund in his honor. Supported by a $25,000 endowment, the fund will provide scholarships to undergraduate students in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Written by By Kathryn L. Heine
The Prasse family--Marcia (seated left); Earl (seated right); and (left to right) Jill, Lisa and Kyle--meet with MechSE professors and staff.
The Prasse family--Marcia (seated left); Earl (seated right); and (left to right) Jill, Lisa and Kyle--meet with MechSE professors and staff.
This July, the family of Mark Prasse (ME 1998) established a scholarship fund in his honor. Supported by a $25,000 endowment, the fund will provide scholarships to undergraduate students in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mark received his Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois in 1998.
Recognizing Mark's interest in agriculture and mechanics, which he developed while growing up on the family farm near Wellington, Illinois, the scholarship fund will look for students who are residents of Illinois, come from a rural background, and have financial need.
Mark was proud to be a graduate of Illinois' highly ranked mechanical engineering program. His parents stated that the U of I was the only college he ever wanted to attend, adding that it was academically challenging for him yet prepared him well for future jobs and provided many enduring friendships.
After graduating from the University of Illinois, Mark worked as a Quality Control Engineer with NAACO in Danville, Illinois. He later joined North American Lighting in Paris, Illinois, rising to the position of a General Foreman at the plant. Tragically, in January of 2008, Mark was shot and killed in his home near Chrisman, Illinois. He was 32 years old.
The Mark E. Prasse Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in loving memory by Mark's parents, Earl and Marcia, his sisters, Jill and Jane, brother, Kyle, and special friend, Lisa. The family stated that they wanted a long-lasting memorial for Mark, endorsing something which was important to him. Support of promising mechanical engineering students at the university Mark truly loved has afforded them that opportunity.
The first scholarship from this endowment will be awarded during a scholarship luncheon on Friday, September 25, 2009.