Milan G. & Elizabeth Y. Stepanovich Memorial Scholarship

Scholarship Type: Endowed
Established Date: December 9th, 2007

Originally established in 2007 by son, Michael Stepanovich, to honor his father Milan G. Stepanovich, the scholarship was known as the Milan G. Stepanovich. The scholarships sole purpose is to support a student (s) pursuing a career in education to become a teacher.

Milan attended WNMU, then known as New Mexico State Teachers College, on the GI bill after World War II, graduating in 1949. He began work on his master’s degree at UNM and completed it at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He completed all his coursework for his PhD in English at the University of Arizona, though didn’t complete his dissertation. He taught high school in California and New Mexico, retiring from Silver High School in 1978. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college and was one of the first three inducted into the WNMU School of Education Hall of Fame.

Milan’s wife, Elizabeth (Michael’s mother), earned her nursing degree from the University of Virginia. Incidentally that led to Michael’s parents meeting. Milan was severely wounded during a battle in World War II, and was shipped back from France for surgery in a stateside Army hospital. Following his successful surgery, Elizabeth, was Milan’s nurse. They had been married almost 64 years when Milan died on Jan. 4, 2009 at age 92.

Education was very important to him and he instilled that desire in his children. Three of his four children earned bachelor’s degrees, and two of them earned their master’s. Milan & Elizabeth’s daughter, Jane, is a WNMU alumna.

The scholarship’s name was changed on Feb. 10th, 2021, after the passing of Elizabeth. Elizabeth passed away on Feb. 8th, 2021, from complications from Coronavirus. She was 99 years old.

Michael and his siblings are continuing to honor their parents by contributing to the WNMU Foundation.