STE. GENEVIEVE, MO, April 9, 2019 -- Representatives from the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) celebrated Dr. Alois (Al) Kertz and his family for their generosity in Ste. Genevieve on Saturday, April 6th at the DuBourg Centre. The Kertz family has a scholarship named in honor of their father, Al, that provides funds to support a student studying Animal Sciences or Food Sciences, preferably to students graduating from Valle Catholic High School or Ste. Genevieve High School.
Family, friends and community members from Ste. Genevieve joined faculty and staff from the University of Missouri last weekend to celebrate the Kertz award. Dr. Kertz had a unique education experience. One of seven, his parents took on a significant financial burden to send all of their children to Valle Catholic High School. His education at Valle Catholic served as a spark that encouraged him to continue on, completing two degrees at the University: a BS in Agriculture focused on Dairy Husbandry in 1967 and a Master of Science studying Dairy Cattle Nutrition in 1968. After serving several years in the military, he attended Cornell University where he completed his Ph.D., focusing his work on animal nutrition. In 2018, he received a Citation of Merit Award from the CAFNR Alumni Association, recognizing his career and research.
Professionally, Dr. Kertz has had a significant impact in his field, traveling extensively both inside and outside the US to consult on the nutrition, feeding, and management of dairy cattle. He worked for many years for Ralston Purina/Purina Mills and is currently the Founder and Principal of Andhil LLC Consulting Services. Personally, Dr. Kertz has four children, three of whom are MU graduates, and nine grandchildren.
Scholarships in CAFNR are an essential part of the recruitment and retention strategy for the college. Thanks to generous donors like the Kertz family, CAFNR is able to offer $1.5 million in scholarships each year; 83% of eligible continuing students who applied received a CAFNR scholarship. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources is home to 12 undergraduate degree programs, 12 graduate degree programs, and many research opportunities and real-world laboratory experiences.
Dr. Al Kertz with his grandson, Andrew, his wife Molly, and daughter Emily
Dr. Al Kertz with his daughter, Emily.
Dr. Al Kertz speaking at the DuBourg Centre
Valle Catholic Schools Foundation hosted Julie Murphy Finn in their 2nd spring "Lunch & Learn Speaker Series". This is a program supported by Valle Schools Foundation to promote and encourage their student body to dream big and to better understand all the diverse opportunities that are possible in a changing world. " The greater exposure we are able to provide the students at Valle Catholic, the more open and prepared they will be to make the important decisions that await them after their education at Valle. We continue to send exceptional students out into the world who have the skills to do well, but also the moral compass to do good", commented Cindy Loida, President of Valle Catholic Schools Foundation.
Julie Murphy Finn is a 1989 proud graduate of Valle Catholic and St. Louis University. Julie currently works for Kit Bond Strategies where she is the Director of Economic Development and Governmental Affairs. Julie was able to capture the attention of the Valle students by explaining her individual journey growing up in Ste. Genevieve and how Valle was a cornerstone of encouragement and support that helped her understand the importance of hard work, finding your passion, and dreaming big. Julie told the students that when you dream big, sometimes it is intimidating and you will be afraid, but stay true to your dream and persevere.
"You will find that being a graduate of Valle Catholic Schools means that you will have a wonderful support group of other Valle Catholic graduates around the world who will always be there for you. Throughout my professional career and personal life, being part of "The Valle Family" has meant so much to me and my family. Be faithful, believe in yourself, and wake up every morning remembering the values you learned while a student at Valle Catholic. I hope that if you remember any thing today, you remember this message".
Some of the children of the Class of 1989 Valle graduates.
Julie Murphy Finn
We would like to cordially invite you to become a founding member of our newly formed "Legacy Society" and hope you will join us at the inaugural Legacy Society Gala on Saturday, October 7th.
We're welcoming committed alumni and friends like you to join us for an evening of great companionship and a shared mission of continued quality Catholic Education at Valle Catholic Schools.
There will be a celebration mass at 5:00 pm at Ste. Genevieve Catholic church, followed by dinner, cocktails, music and fellowship at the DuBourg Centre. We will be giving a Special Recognition award to Nancy Fischer for her many years of outstanding service and meaningful work at Valle. And we are excited to announce that Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ will be our guest speaker for the evening. Father Mike, is an extremely accomplished Jesuit priest who has spoken around the world and just so happens to also be a Valle alumnus! He will be presenting Coach Fischer with the Special Recognition award and will be talking to us about the significance of Catholic education.
Nancy Fischer celebrating with young Valle scientists in the lab.
We're asking for a $250 (or more) donation per person to attend the Gala and become a member of the Legacy Society. Former and current Valle teachers are welcome to attend for a $50 donation. All proceeds will go to the Valle Catholic Schools Foundation. Cocktail attire is suggested, so let's have a fun evening supporting this school and legacy that we are all so proud to be a part of!
You can make your reservation now by calling (573) 883-7496 or emailing admin@valleschoolsfoundation.org. You can also stop by and see Deann Huck at the Parish Center or Dawn Basler at the Valle High School for tickets.
I was recently in Denver in a hotel breakfast area when a man tapped me on the shoulder and said pointing at my Valle t-shirt, "Valle Catholic, you're from Ste Gen?"
"Yes I am," I said smiling. He said he was from Kansas City but was very familiar with our school and our sports programs.
How often has that happened to you? I can say it has happened to me more than once while visiting another state. Valle Catholic is not just your average school. It has roots that run deep here in the community, exposure that runs wide across the Midwest and graduates and supporters worldwide—people like you—who care deeply about its success.
Did you know The Valle Catholic Schools Foundation has been in existence for over 20 years? Through purposeful investments the Foundation has been able to contribute every year to the annual operating budget of the school, and we hope to expand those contributions to help keep tuition affordable for the children of Ste. Genevieve who desire a Catholic education.
The Foundation invests donations in long term investments currently managed by HSB Advisors here locally in Ste. Genevieve which has allowed us to give more to the school over time. We believe smart investments can help us better serve Valle, and we owe it to our generous donors to get the most mileage out of donations.
We've also launched this new website, in an effort to rally everyone around this school that we love so much. We've built it for those of you that live in our community and live True Valle Blue every day and for those of you that live out of our area who still care deeply about Valle and the Ste. Genevieve community.
We need your participation. Show your love for Valle by signing up for the Foundation (it's free!), filling out your profile and asking your friends and families to do the same. We plan to use this platform to connect all of you—near and far—to each other and to build up a community of people who believe in True Valle Blue.
We'll share great news and updates from Valle Catholic Schools with you, and we hope to provide recent and future graduates with a network of Valle supporters who can help connect them with potential employers or even just provide advice for future careers. Let's build a foundation community that can make a difference and show what it means to be True Valle Blue!