Wells School of Music Announces New Scholarship Named for Beloved Alumnus
The Wells School of Music at West Chester University announces a new scholarship in honor of a treasured alumnus and long-time supporter and friend to the school. The Ed Boyer ’78 Instrument Award, established after Boyer’s death on April 8, 2020, will be awarded to a student with financial need for the purposes of securing a quality instrument from Yamaha Corporation. Boyer was a 1978 graduate of the Wells School of Music and worked for Yamaha Corporation for more than 30 years.
Boyer’s wife and fellow-alumna and Music Education major, Kathleen Boyer ’80, ’86, helped to establish the scholarship in her late-husband’s name. In the aftermath of his sudden death, she requested donations be made to the School of Music in lieu of flowers.
Kathleen Boyer says, “We began talking about this scholarship after the initial influx of donations following Ed’s death. When the School of Music approached me with this idea of gifting instruments to students with financial need, it checked so many boxes. Ed loved both working at Yamaha, and the Wells School of Music held such a special place in both of our hearts. Ed would love this his commitment to helping students will continue with this award.”
Doug Steinmetz headed Boyer’s department at Yamaha Corporation. He says, “One of our driving missions at Yamaha is to create more lifelong music makers, and one of the key necessities in doing so is to make sure they own a high-quality, affordable instrument. Ed loved putting more ‘horns in hands’ as we like to say. We are proud to help continue Ed’s legacy with this award.”
Chris Hanning, Dean of the Wells School of Music says, “Ed was a supporter of the Wells School of Music not only philanthropically but as a member of our Wells School of Music Advisory Board. His contributions have impacted generations of students. We are very excited that so many of Ed’s friends and family have helped us get this scholarship started. We hope to see it grow and endowed so that WCU students can benefit in perpetuity, which I believe would make Ed very happy!”
To make a donation in Ed Boyer’s name, please contact Jill Siskind at the WCU Foundation.