GREEN BAY, Wis. — High school students in Marinette or Oconto County who plan to attend UW-Green Bay have a new scholarship opportunity.

The Virgil and Lorraine (Panske) Thomson Memorial Endowed Scholarship has been established by family members of Virgil and Lorraine (Panske) Thomson, longtime dedicated supporters of the Coleman, Wis. community.

The scholarship was awarded for the first time in Spring 2018 to a Coleman High School student admitted to UW-Green Bay.

Virgil Thomson was a 1944 graduate of Coleman High school, and nine-year member (1974-1983) of the Coleman School Board, having served many of those years as board president. Lorraine (Panske) Thomson was a 1950 graduate of from Our Lady of Lourdes High School (currently known as St. Thomas Academy) in Marinette, Wisconsin. There she worked to earn her own room and board and later embraced life in her adopted community of Coleman.

Donors of the scholarship endowment said the Thomsons “provided loving support to members of the Coleman community throughout their 58 years of marriage.”

Students eligible for the scholarship must be admitted to UW-Green Bay as a degree-seeking undergraduate student and have graduated from a high school in Marinette or Oconto County. The scholarship is renewable for up to three additional years, if the student maintains his or her academic standing.

Recipients must also complete a scholarship application noting their academic, extra-curricular activities and community involvement. The scholarship will be awarded on a yearly basis.