Scholarship Endowment to Help Those Who Help Children

Charlotte Seiler, a longtime faculty member of the Delta College English department, loved children and was instrumental in developing the early childhood literature classes at Delta. 

In recognition of that legacy, her daughter, Dr. Patricia (Pat) Seiler, established a scholarship endowment in her late mother’s name to support students whose career goal is to help children.

“This is something I know my mother would have wanted to do,” said Pat. “There are many barriers for students wanting to attend college, and her hope would have been for this scholarship to help remove some of those barriers.”

Lifelong Educator

Teaching was Charlotte Seiler’s life after graduating high school at age 16 and finishing a two-year teacher-training normal school program. After ten years of teaching elementary school and taking summer classes, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.

She joined the Delta faculty in 1964 as a reading instructor, and shortly after earned a master’s degree from Central Michigan University in library science. That degree, in addition to her teaching experience, qualified her to teach children’s literature, which became her passion. When Seiler retired in 1977, she was an Assistant Professor in the English Division. 

After retirement, she continued to teach humanities at the Midland Community Center. She also taught Sunday school until she was 95. She was active in the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and was named “Gift Honoree” in 1979, the highest award a woman can receive from the AAUW. 

She was married to Wallace (“Wally”) for 60 years until his death in 2002. The couple had two daughters, Patricia and Janet, and two granddaughters. 

Interested in creating a scholarship? Contact Julie Dorcey at 989-686-9079 or juliedorcey@delta.edu.