A strong belief in the value of education and an appreciation for the resources NIACC has to offer led Everett and Beverly Hermanson to establish the Hermanson Scholarship. The couple had financially supported NIACC starting in 1977 and in 1998 they chose to establish an endowed scholarship in memory of their daughter, Ann.
Everett was a Mason City native, attended Mason City Junior College (NIACC’s predecessor) for one more year prior to receiving a BS degree from Iowa State University. Beverly grew up in Minnesota and she and Everett met at Iowa State where she, too, graduated with a BS degree.
After marriage, the Hermansons settled in Mason City so Everett could join his father and uncle at the family business, Hermanson Brothers Dairy Products. This business grew from a one-wagon service in 1909 to a dairy with a fleet of trucks serving communities as far as Algona and Charles City prior to its sale in 1954.
Beverly invested much of her time to raising three children, Paul, Ann and Mark. She instilled the value of education in them and all three became health professionals. Ann graduated with a nursing degree from St. Olaf College, and Paul and Mark became an orthodontist and a physician, respectively, after graduating from the University of Iowa.
Although Everett and Beverly completed their formal education long ago, they remained life-long learners and took classes and attended events and NIACC. “NIACC has one of the most beautiful campuses we’ve ever seen. We always drive our visitors through campus,” they said.
Everett died in 2009 at the age of 93. The Hermansons wanted to help future generations of students recognize the value of education and they have made it possible through their establishment of the Hermanson Scholarship.