Peter and Sylvia Tennessen Scholarship award winners and more

Since our mother passed away in 1996 the Tennessens have awarded a scholarship (at least one) to a deserving Phillips High School graduate.

Every spring since then, one of us has presented the scholarships at a Phillips High School honors awards convocation. This May, due to the corona virus, Phillips High School will present the awards virtually. An administrator will do the presentation. At the request of the high school, the following information has been sent to Kay Sue Belan, Administrative Assistant at Phillips Middle School and Phillips High School:

"Our parents farmed on County J, Town of Harmony, until 1978. Peter Tennessen, our father, passed away in 1982 and our mother, Sylvia Tennessen, passed away in 1996. After her death, my brothers, sister, and I decided to offer a scholarship in my mother’s name to a woman Phillips High School graduating senior who wanted to pursue a higher education.

A few years later, a similar scholarship was offered to a male high school graduate who wished to pursue a higher education.

These scholarships commemorate Peter and Sylvia Tennessen. Our parents valued higher education even though Peter quit school after the third grade and Sylvia was unable to go to high school after she finished the 8th grade at Martins Mill School.

When Sylvia graduated from the 8th grade, there was no bussing. She would have had to rent an apartment in Phillips to attend high school. One of her biggest regrets was that she did not have a high school education.

Today, the Tennessen family is proud to present a Sylvia Tennessen scholarship and a Peter Tennessen Scholarship.

The Peter Tennessen Scholarship ($1,000) today is presented to a young man who has worked since he was 12 years old. He now has his own logging business. It’s appropriate for this young man to receive the Peter Tennessen scholarship because our dad also worked hard as a logger. He plans to become a lawyer.

The Peter Tennessen scholarship is awarded to Trey Tingo.

The Sylvia Tennessen scholarship ($1,000) is awarded to a young woman who plans to become an RN. During this pandemic, her goals to become an RN would earn our mother’s support. She would be very pleased with this young woman’s focus, persistence, and dedication.

The Sylvia Tennessen scholarship is awarded to Destinee Kleinschmidt."