MONMOUTH, Ill. — An endowed scholarship fund at Monmouth College has been created by an alumnus to honor the contributions of longtime biology professor Robert Buchholz.

Joseph Svoboda, a 1975 graduate who is now president of Freedom Natural Resources, Inc., and his wife, Leslie, established the scholarship in appreciation for the influence Buchholz had on Svoboda as a student at Monmouth. Buchholz, who retired in 1994 after a 44-year career on the MC faculty, taught Svoboda while he majored in biology and geology. Svoboda received his master’s degree in geology and geophysics at the University of Iowa and worked for Champlin Petroleum and Union Pacific Resources before starting his own oil and gas exploration company in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Dr. Buchholz was an outstanding teacher and adviser for me and many others who attended Monmouth,” said Svoboda, who particularly recalled an interim course on marine biology that Buchholz developed and taught in Florida during winter break. “He has had a great impact on his students and their professional careers. By establishing this scholarship fund in his honor, my wife and I hope to provide students who may not have the necessary financial means with an opportunity to share in the Monmouth College experience.”

Svoboda stipulated that the first recipient of the Robert H. Buchholz Scholarship be a biology major, but future holders of the scholarship can be from other majors within the sciences. His intent is to match gifts up to $25,000 in each of the next five years from other donors who wish to support the Buchholz Scholarship.

The first recipient is Jillian Hennenfent, a junior biology major from Wataga. She is the daughter of Robert and Chris Hennenfent of Wataga.