This scholarship award is in memory of Neal V. Anderson. Your donation to this fund will directly be awarded to a student, or students, who also demonstrate a love for fishing, camping, gardening, hiking, or nature conservation. The applicants will be required to write a letter describing how their involvement in the outdoors has shaped the person that they are.

Nine years ago we kicked off the Neal V. Anderson Scholarship and have awarded several scholarships to date to deserving high school seniors at Antioch Community High School. Our long term goal will be to continue supporting Antioch students over the years, to honor Neal, keep his name alive, and to give back to the community in which he grew up fishing. Because of so many of your generous donations, we were able to award a lifetime total of $18,000 to graduating high school seniors!!!

A little about Neal:

Neal, loving father of Jacob, brother of Luke and Cale, and son of David and Terese Anderson: a devoted uncle to his nieces and nephews, a friend whose friends became family, a bright soul. He loved experimenting in the kitchen and was known for his stick to your ribs kind of food, including his annual batch of smoked fish often caught in the Kenosha harbor or rivers, which became a family favorite tradition. He was a green thumb: Jacob's first meals were grown in Neal's garden. He loved weird varieties - pink and white carrots, purple and dragon tongue green beans, red corn, purple peppers. He was the most patient man in the garden; it was his zen. He also loved flowers, particularly orchids, and he dried and saved orchid petals. Fishing was LIFE – a passion nothing could compare to. He loved fly fishing and ice fishing and even tied his own flies. He would get so excited for the cold in the winter because it meant ice was coming. He revered trout of all breeds. He wrote a blog about fishing in WI/IL rivers and lakes, sharing his passion with other anglers. Fishing was also the thread that bound his many family members and friends who joined in his love for the sport. Neal loved camping, and considered himself an expert. He would break out his mullet wig for camping, or for fun at home when having a bonfire, turning into Mullet Mike. He would enter into many different characters, nailing various accents and turning a room upside-down with laughter at his antics. Bonfires were a place to connect with people, not on Facebook or the internet. He was also a prankster like none other, well known at the office for his antics. He danced like a goofball to music, doing the “reel the fish” move and “frame the face" move. A lover of laughter, family, friends, and life, he always brought the fun and joy. He is deeply missed.

Neal passed away in 2015, leaving us too soon. It is with this scholarship that we aim to keep his memory alive in the community. Through this award, we hope to impart upon the recipients to take time to connect with nature and to make time for loved ones in honor of Neal.