| SEARCH OnWEAC |
|---|
It wasn't enough for Mary Beth Nienhaus to donate 25 years of her life to the children and the community of Appleton as a teacher at West High School. Now, late into the career she loves so much, she decided she wanted to do even more.
So one day this summer Nienhaus walked into Superintendent Tom Scullen's office and floored him with the declaration that she would donate $200,000 so the district could renovate the deteriorating Goodland Field. The money — which is the seed money for a new district educational foundation — will be used to build new baseball, softball and soccer fields for the students and the community, she said.
"For me, it's just a natural thing to do," said Nienhaus, a physical education instructor and coach of the girls' golf team. "I wanted to give the money back to the school system and the community."
No, Nienhaus is not the heir to a paper-making fortune or winner of a lottery. She's a career teacher and golf professional who just worked hard and saved money over many years.
It helps that Nienhaus is owner of the Winagamie Golf Course. But that's a position that she worked herself into after starting out as a summer worker in her youth and gradually buying into the course.
"I have very strong work ethics," she said. "I'm almost a workaholic. I have high expectations. That's why I've been able to accumulate this money. I've worked very hard. This money was not given to me."
Now she's able to give back to two of her favorite things in life — students and sports. Nienhaus, who played amateur golf for 10 years and is a member of the LPGA as a golf instructor, also has coached volleyball and basketball.
She said she wanted to dedicate her contribution to the excellent teachers and support staff she has worked with over her 25 years (and counting) and to the students she has taught and coached.
She said she looks forward to watching the students and community enjoy the renovated field, which is the former home of the Appleton Foxes minor league baseball team and was deeded to the school district after the Foxes became the TimberRattlers and moved to a new stadium.
"My goal is to have it as busy as possible," she said.
Posted October 23, 1996