David Anderson and Stephanie Ognar honored with scholarships

Scholarship funds are currently being established to honor two Engineering IT employees that recently passed away: David Anderson and Stephanie Ognar.

David Anderson

The David Anderson “Neo” Award will award one staff member and one student worker within Engineering IT. This award will be given annually to an individual whose could be compared with the passion and dedication David Anderson demonstrated during his lifetime.

Formerly a Senior Systems Administrator for Engineering IT, David died in December 2012 after complications from heart surgery. The name “Neo” derives from the famous film The Matrix, which features a heroic character named “Mr. Anderson”. The name "Neo" stuck with David Anderson, as did the qualities of persistence, dedication, and the pursuit of reliable, flexible IT services.

After 8 years of serving in the military, David worked at Amdocs in Champaign before becoming a student worker for TSG. He finished his Computer Science degree in 2005 and became a full time employee of TSG after graduation. Not only did he bring his enterprise systems experience from his military service and Amdocs employment, he also had the perspective of students in mind as he created services and resolved problems for the Department of Computer Science and the College of Engineering.

Stephanie Ognar

The Stephanie Ognar Memorial Scholarship Fund was established by family members, colleagues, and classmates in honor of Stephanie Ognar.  The fund, established with the University of Illinois Foundation, will allow the School of Art + Design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts to award a scholarship in honor of Stephanie.

Stephanie received her BFA in Art Education, MFA in Art and Design, and MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois. She resided in Champaign and worked as an artist and information professional at the University of Illinois.

Stephanie displayed her artwork in various museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe, and much of her web-based work can be found on her personal website. In 2009 she received a month-long residency fellowship from the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming.

You can make personal contributions to the Stephanie Ognar Memorial Scholarship Fund online.