Bill and Sophie Werries Scholarship

About the Scholarship

A scholarship has been established in the name of Bill and Sophie Werries.  Bill Werries, the son of German immigrants, was reared south of Tescott about two miles from the old Franklin School.  He was the youngest of eight children.  Although he did not attend Tescott High School, he was, in his lifetime, very supportive of education.

Sophie white Werries graduated from high school in Graham county.  She lived nearly 30 years in teh Tescott area.  Bill and Sophie Werries had three children.  Bill (Earl William), now deceased, was a graduate of THS.  Marjorie Werries Devins attended Tescott High for a brief period, and graduated from Minneapolis.  Dean Werries was also a graduate of MHS.

The endowment for this scholarship has been provided throughou the generosity of Dean Werries.  His father, Bill, lost his business during The Depression, but continued to live in the area as she found new employment with the local Ford dealer. Dean's uncle, W.O. Brooks, operated a general store in Tescott.  Dean and his brother received early mentoring from their uncle, and both became productive contributors in the grocery industry. 

After services in the US Navy during WWII, Bill attended KSU.  Later he moved to Ulysses, KS where he operated a grocery store for 40 years.  Dean was a longtime employee of Fleming Companies, Inc.

After a series of moves, he was named Chief Executive Officer and Chairman in 1988.  During his leadership, Fleming became the largest wholesale food distributor in the United States.  He received two prestigious honors given by the leading associations of the industry, the Herbert Hoover Award and the Sidney R. Rabb award.  He retired in 1933.