Advancing the
MISSION INCARNATE WORD ACADEMY FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
FALL 2018
THE WHITWORTH STORY— A LEGACY OF COMMITMENT TO CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Though short in stature, Wally and Bernice Bertmann Whitworth, as parents of a large family, stood “ten feet tall.” Strong in their faith, devoted to their children and dedicated to Catholic education, they taught their sons and daughters the values of respect, responsibility, self-discipline and compassion. They gladly made the sacrifices needed to send their children to Catholic schools.
Wally and his five brothers graduated from Corpus Christi College Academy (CCCA); his sister, Anna Marie Whitworth Johnson, graduated from Incarnate Word Academy—and Bernice, who lived in Kingsville, attended Incarnate Word Academy in the 7th grade as a boarder together with her sister, Laura. Regrettably, Bernice was unable to continue at IWA and repeatedly talked about her desire to continue her education at the Academy. Wally and Bernice sent nine of their ten children to Catholic schools from first grade through high school. Jack, the youngest, attended Ray High School since CCCA had closed and IWA was not yet co-ed. All ten graduated from college, several with Master’s
Degrees, putting themselves through college with part-time and summer jobs. Wally and Bernice modeled for their family the ways to live and enjoy life to the fullest. A fun highlight of the week was the family attending the CollegeAcademy Cavaliers’ Friday night football games. After their parents died, Wally in 1989 and Bernice in 2011, the children have continued to strengthen their close family bond. A sad moment the family experienced was the loss of their brother, Dan, who was killed in 2003, at age 50, in a tree-cutting accident, at their parents’ home. A thoughtful caring person, Dan’s quick infectious wit and wonderful sense of humor are still felt and remembered at all family gatherings, and visible to this day in his wife and children. While the siblings tease, joke, and give one another a hard time, they value most their love for one another. To express their appreciation and to honor their parents for their contribution to Christian living and Catholic values, members of the family established the Wally and Bernice Whitworth Scholarship in 2017. Through this scholarship Wally and Bernice will be remembered into the future by the student recipients and by the school community for the good they accomplished in their lifetime. Continued on Page 2