December 18, 2020

The person who oversaw the construction of Delta College’s campus in the ‘60s has established a new scholarship endowment for students aspiring to become nurses.

Will Reading, who served as Delta’s first facilities director from 1959-1986, established the Connie R. Reading Scholarship Endowment in honor of his wife, who died in 2019 after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Will said he and his children also established the scholarship after the excellent care his wife received at the end of her life.

“I visited Connie every day, so I got to know the nurses well,” said Reading. “It was obvious that money was a big concern for them, so when Connie passed away, I wanted to do something special in her memory.”

Scholarships will be awarded annually to part- or full-time students in the nursing program at Delta.

“The job you enjoy going to every day”

In the late ‘50s, Will was working for a local engineering company when he heard about a facilities position at a new community college.

“I hadn’t given Delta any thought, but a friend suggested I look into a position that would oversee construction of its campus,” he said. “The more I thought about it, the more I wanted the new position.”

He got the job and served as director of facilities for Delta for 27 years. Will, now 94 years old, has been able to watch Delta grow through the years, starting with the construction of its main campus in 1961.

One of the favorite parts of his job was working with faculty and helping communicate their needs in new construction projects. “It was the kind of job you enjoyed going to every day,” he said. “It’s been gratifying to watch Delta grow.”

A longer version of this story is in the fall 2020 issue of Journeys, Delta’s magazine for friends and alumni that is published by the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Written by Leah Twilley, Communications Specialist.