The Wayne A. and Roveen Townsend Yoder Scholarship Endowment Fund

Wayne and Roveen Townsend Yoder wish to acknowledge the life-long benefits they have
enjoyed from their education at Goshen College (1961-67) by establishing this scholarship.
Both have been blessed because of a deep commitment to education by their parents.

Wayne’s parents, Alva and Ruth Eash Yoder, were strong supporters of education at Goshen
College, making it possible for all four of their children to graduate without debt. Ruth was an
elementary teacher and Alva operated the farm where he was raised as well as working as a
machinist during parts of his life. They were also supporters of life-long learning.

Wayne was generously taught and mentored by Drs. C. Franklin Bishop and Jonathan N. Roth
during his years at Goshen College. Their influence impacted Wayne’s entire university teaching
career in biological sciences.

Roveen’s father, Norman A. Townsend, attended Eastern Mennonite College for one year and
although he did not graduate because of fmancial reasons, he vowed to make it possible for his
two children to attend a Mennonite college regardless of the cost. Because of her parent’s
commitment, Roveen and her brother both graduated from Goshen College with little or no
college debt. Roveen graduated in 1967 with a degree in elementary education and recalls the
encouragement and instruction of the elementary faculty, especially Beth Hostetler [Berry] and
Dr. Mary Royer, and was able to utilize those lessons during her career as a classroom teacher
and as a professional developer.

Wayne and Roveen have two children, Derek W. Yoder, Goshen Class of ’96 and Kristin Yoder
Kauffman, EMU Class of ’01. Kristin once said, ”My mother and father picked up on my Grandpa’s commitment to Mennonite higher education and gave my brother and me “total freedom” as well, to choose any of the three Mennonite Church colleges.”

Because Mennonite higher education has made a tremendous difference in their lives, it is the
desire of Wayne and Roveen Yoder to assist others in their pursuit of Mennonite higher
education, too.