Loyal Spartan family remembers times Up North with scholarship

 

Married and settled in Royal Oak, Michigan, Al and Frill Winnard raised six children, all of whom followed their parents’ example and studied at MSU – Phyllis (‘71, Social Science); Janet (’72, Human Ecology, ’79, Business); Margo (’75, Arts & Letters, Honors); Carole (‘79, ’81, Business); Mark (’80, Business); and James (’87, Business). Al is quick to point out that no one was forced to go to MSU, but Carole adds it was the only university any of Al and Frill’s children wanted to attend.

 

Carole Winnard Brumm and her husband Gregg E. Brumm recently established a scholarship endowment to honor and continue the Spartan legacy shaped during her parents’ life together. In the spirit of her family’s enduring memories of times spent “Up North” together, the endowment will benefit students from Emmett County, Michigan.

 

Good friendships and enduring memories of Wequetonsing, Harbor Springs, Emmett County and Up North have made this Al and Frill’s special place for over 60 years. Frill fondly recalls childhood summers spent in Weque at the cottage her grandfather built, and later honeymooning there with Al in 1948. In 1957 Al and Frill purchased their own cottage just four doors away, where they still spend summers to this day.

 

Frill and the children spent their summers at the cottage, with Al commuting north on weekends. The children participated in the recreation program, where they learned to swim, sail and play tennis. Carole and her sister Janet have carried the tradition to the next generation, as they own summer cottages nearby.

 

Al and Frill were proud and honored to hear of Carole and Gregg’s gift that will help Emmett County youth begin their own journeys as MSU Spartans. Al was the first in his family to attend college and earned his degree through the GI Bill®. The couple values their own and their children’s MSU educations and especially the friendly atmosphere on campus that spawned lifelong friendships and always made them feel at home.

 

Carole concurs with her parents. “Michigan State is large enough to provide unlimited opportunities and yet you can make it as small as you want it to be with your close group of friends,” she said. It is Carole and Gregg’s sincere hope that other lifelong Spartans share their enthusiasm for MSU and all that it can offer to young people and will consider establishing their own endowments.

 

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill