Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Boger Endowed Scholarship
Criteria: The Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Boger Endowed Scholarship will be awarded annually to an outstanding junior majoring in Biology who shows outstanding potential for graduate studies and career success. The qualified candidates will be goal oriented, have demonstrable financial need and have shown leadership on campus, either to the Biology Department or the WSU community as a whole.
Professor Emeritus Edwin Boger, Ph.D., and his wife, Margaret Boger, devoted most of their professional lives to educating students – he as a professor in WSU’s Biology Department, she as a nurse educator in hospitals and colleges.
Now in retirement, the couple continue to make a difference in students’ lives through the
Dr. and Mrs. Edwin A. Boger Endowed Scholarship.
The Bogers cite their deep affection for Worcester State and a desire to give back as reasons for creating the scholarship. “I spent my teaching career at Worcester State and really enjoyed every semester,” noted Dr. Boger. “It was very rewarding to see my students grow and have a part in their lives.”
Dr. Boger was committed to giving students a strong foundation in biology, but he also enjoyed lighter moments in the classroom. For example, he became known for never wearing the same tie twice during an academic year. One of his ties – a gift from students – was six-feet long. When he unbuttoned his jacket, the neatly knotted tie would unroll to the floor. “Students always got a laugh out of that,” he chuckled.
He also recalls his refusal to sign a withdrawal slip for a nontraditional student who doubted her ability to succeed in his class. “She graduated with honors and thanked me for encouraging her to continue,” he said. “Helping students succeed meant a lot to me.”
Teaching was a second career for Dr. Boger. Raised in Rhode Island, the first child of German immigrants, he followed in his father’s footsteps and entered a jewelry production shop after high school. He became a journeyman toolmaker skilled at many phases of tools, chain machines, and molds for plastics.
When he decided to go to college, he earned degrees from Valparaiso University, the University of Connecticut, and Clark University and was still an undergraduate when he met a young nursing educator from Ohio named Margaret Pacey on a blind date. The couple have been married more than 50 years.
Dr. Boger’s tenure at Worcester State coincided with a period of tremendous growth at the institution. When he started teaching in 1968, all WSU students were education majors and the biology curriculum contained only enough courses to fulfill requirements for certification as a secondary level biology teacher. In the 1990s, biology became a separate department and Dr. Boger was appointed chair.
When the Ghosh Center for Science and Technology opened in 2000, Dr. Boger worked with department faculty to develop a comprehensive list of lab equipment that would be needed to maximize learning opportunities in the new facility. Under his leadership, the new biology labs were well equipped for high level research and instruction.
Dr. Boger, however, never taught in the state-of-the-art facility. “I decided that since I had to pack up my office for the move, it would be a good time to retire,” he said. But his connection with Worcester State remains strong. In addition to their financial support, he and Mrs. Boger enjoy attending campus functions and staying in touch with colleagues. They also take satisfaction in knowing that they are helping students.
“We both received assistance with our education,” noted Dr. Boger, “and we are pleased that we are now in a position to assist others.”