{"id":31657,"date":"2025-06-11T21:31:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T01:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=31657"},"modified":"2025-06-11T21:31:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T01:31:51","slug":"love-story-takes-another-turn-with-creation-of-endowment-to-support-students-studying-special-education-at-tusculum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2025\/love-story-takes-another-turn-with-creation-of-endowment-to-support-students-studying-special-education-at-tusculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Love story takes another turn with creation of endowment to support students studying special education at Tusculum"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Tusculum University<\/a> students seeking financial assistance to obtain a degree focused on special education<\/a> will benefit from an endowed scholarship created by an alumnus in memory of his beloved wife, who also graduated from the higher education institution.<\/h3>\n
\"Left

Left to right, Edward Roberts, David Nyholm and Dr. David Cook take a photo together outside McCormick Hall.<\/p><\/div>\n

The June Ann Gieselberg Nyholm \u201962 Endowed Scholarship Fund will serve as a powerful reminder of her 32-year career to serving as an elementary school special education teacher. Her husband, David, who established the endowment, taught fifth grade for two years before he pivoted to a career in insurance claims.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to be able to create this endowment to help students interested in the special education field achieve their degree with some financial assistance,\u201d David Nyholm said. \u201cI hope we attract even more students to that realm of teaching because it is an honorable part of the profession. I am also delighted to be able to pay tribute to my wife. Two individuals truly became one during our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

To celebrate the endowment, Nyholm recently returned to campus and met with Dr. David Cook, provost and vice president of academic affairs, and Edward Roberts, vice president of institutional advancement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nyholm said his wife became interested in serving as a special education teacher because of a friend of hers who was in that field of instruction. He thinks she watched the interaction taking place between student and teacher and decided that appealed to her. From his perspective, she enjoyed seeing the progress in special education students and felt she was playing a part in making that happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, she became really close to her students \u2013 to the point where they were almost her like her biological children,\u201d Nyholm said. \u201cThat was part of the reason she was so dedicated to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The history with Tusculum<\/strong><\/p>\n

The couple met at Tusculum when they were freshman \u2013 she came from the Queens borough of New York, and he was from Pittsburgh. However, they did not start dating until they were seniors. They graduated in 1962 and married in 1963 after he enlisted in the Navy. They were married for 58 years and had two children and two grandchildren before she passed away in 2021.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. David Cook, left, signs the scholarship document while David Nyholm observes.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"David

David Nyholm, right, signs the scholarship document while Dr. David Cook watches. A photo of Nyholm\u2019s wife, June, is in the foreground.<\/p><\/div>\n

Recalling what brought him to Tusculum, Nyholm said the university was a good fit financially. It also aligned with his faith because he was raised in the Presbyterian Church, with which Tusculum is affiliated, and became a deacon as an adult. He believes what his daughter says — that there are no coincidences \u2013 and says he and his wife were brought together for God\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttending Tusculum is a life-changing experience that produces results not only professionally but in the development of a wide array of relationships,\u201d said Dr. Scott Hummel, the university\u2019s president. \u201cWe are pleased we were able to play a part in bringing David and June together and serving as a foundation for their lives past graduation. He is now using the joy of that time of life to pay it forward, and we appreciate his generosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nyholm has fond memories of his Tusculum years. He lived in Rankin Hall, which is now the headquarters for Tusculum\u2019s athletic department<\/a>, and his wife lived in Virginia Hall, which now has classrooms as well as several university offices. When he was a student, the number of buildings on campus was much fewer.<\/p>\n

Nyholm made many close friends during his Tusculum studies and has enjoyed reconnecting with them over the years. After Nyholm\u2019s wife passed away, one of his classmates, Ed Cunio, who was a teacher, coach and mayor, touched base. That enabled the two men to reestablish their bond before his death. Nyholm also reflected on connecting again with another classmate, Tony Gaess, who had served on the Tusculum Board of Trustees, after about 40 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like meeting your brother after 40 years,\u201d Nyholm said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the same. You\u2019re right there again. It\u2019s just amazing how that works.\u201d<\/p>\n

The power of endowments<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. David Cook, left, and David Nyholm shake hands before signing the document.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gaess created an endowment, and David Nyholm felt that would be an appropriate way to recognize and pay tribute to June when she passed away. Now, those funds will help the next generation of special education teachers positively affect children\u2019s lives, just as June Nyholm did.<\/p>\n

Roberts said Tusculum is grateful for the opportunity to help someone memorialize a special person through the creation of an endowment.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany individuals throughout Tusculum\u2019s history have embraced this method of ensuring someone\u2019s legacy continues to remain vivid well into the future,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cIn the process of keeping that memory alive, those who establish endowments are empowering our students to accomplish their academic dreams. This philanthropy also profoundly impacts a community\u2019s quality of life. We are thankful to David for recognizing how he can make a difference in a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n

To discuss endowments, please contact Roberts at 423-636-7303 or eroberts@tusculum.edu<\/a>. Further information about Tusculum\u2019s special education program is available at https:\/\/site.tusculum.edu\/bachelor-of-arts-interdisciplinary-studies-with-special-education-endorsement\/<\/a> and https:\/\/site.tusculum.edu\/master-of-arts-in-education-special-education-endorsement\/<\/a>. More details about the university can be accessed at www.tusculum.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Tusculum University<\/a> students seeking financial assistance to obtain a degree focused on special education<\/a> will benefit from an endowed scholarship created by an alumnus in memory of his beloved wife, who also graduated from the higher education institution.<\/h3>\n

The June Ann Gieselberg Nyholm \u201962 Endowed Scholarship Fund will serve as a powerful reminder of her 32-year career to serving as an elementary school special education teacher. Her husband, David, who established the endowment, taught fifth grade for two years before he pivoted to a career in insurance claims.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to be able to create this endowment to help students interested in the special education field achieve their degree with some financial assistance,\u201d David Nyholm said. \u201cI hope we attract even more students to that realm of teaching because it is an honorable part of the profession. I am also delighted to be able to pay tribute to my wife. Two individuals truly became one during our marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[131,91,7,19,169,1,6,162,172],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nLove story takes another turn with creation of endowment to support students studying special education at Tusculum :: Tusculum University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2025\/love-story-takes-another-turn-with-creation-of-endowment-to-support-students-studying-special-education-at-tusculum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Love story takes another turn with creation of endowment to support students studying special education at Tusculum :: Tusculum University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GREENEVILLE \u2013 Tusculum University students seeking financial assistance to obtain a degree focused on special education will benefit from an endowed scholarship created by an alumnus in memory of his beloved wife, who also graduated from the higher education institution. 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