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Siblings honor mother with a gift for education AS MARGUERITE GOSTOMSKI RAISED HER
five kids, she also took on the role of mentor, parent and educator to hundreds of students at Bradley Tech High School in Milwaukee. As a teacher’s aide, Marguerite demonstrated her passion for helping kids and changing lives. In a nutshell, it was who she was. The memories her children have of her will last a lifetime, much like the impactful work she did in her community. Marguerite was an instrumental figure and role model when it came to working with and for children in Milwaukee. The breadth of her impact was significant, from her work as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader and avid Girl Scout cookie mom, to advocate of the Milwaukee County Parks System, turning the playground in their neighborhood into an ice skating rink in the winter. Her selfless work and commitment to her children and others throughout the community was ever present. These incredible values of hard work, kindness and commitment were instilled into her children, Greg Pavlic, Tom Pavlic, Kathy Nelson, Chris Ameringer and Denise Gloede. As children, she brought them out into the community, giving them an appreciation of what it had to offer. Whether it be trips to the library and the nearby Book Mobile, or the Milwaukee County Zoo (on the free days!) to see the animals, she made sure her children had opportunities to learn about the world around them. Every day was considered a lesson by this magnificent mom and teacher, and she believed there was no better way to teach than to allow her children to see and
Kathy Nelson and Tom Pavlic with a photo of their mother, Marguerite, who inspired the scholarship.
enjoy what the city had to offer. Marguerite was an endless advocate for her children, pushing them to find their passion and reach their highest potential. She encouraged higher education and hard work. The result: two insurance professionals, an information systems expert and two registered nurses. All five children have held leadership positions in their various industries, following their mother’s example to serve and support others. When she passed away in 2005, her children chose to honor their mother’s lifelong love of helping people with a scholarship, They established the Marguerite Pavlic-Gostomski Scholarship because of the family’s experience with UW-Milwaukee. Three of Marguerite’s children are alums: Greg, BBA '81; Tom, MIS '83; and Kathy, BSN '87, Marguerite’s commitment to learning, and the connection to the city of Milwaukee, hosting the scholarship at UW-Milwaukee was a perfect fit. To her children, the scholarship would allow her practice of giving and helping others to carry on indefinitely and also serve as a means to keep her beautiful spirit and memory alive.
Marguerite’s children are actively involved in the scholarship award process. From reviewing applications to attending events, this family is all in. As both Nelson and Tom Pavlic described, “Some of these kids had a lot less than we had. I always had a roof over my head. Many students today don’t have these supports. The fact is that they are working this hard to better themselves and making a difference for their kids and their kids’ kids.” In some cases, their participation has forged bonds with some of the scholarship recipients resulting in lifelong friendships. Said Nelson: “Seeing these students succeed as a result of this scholarship is something my mom would have been very proud of. She always told us to never stop growing, never stop giving, and never stop learning. Through this scholarship we’ve accomplished all of those things and more.” To date, the Marguerite PavlicGostomski fund has awarded $20,000 in scholarships and positively impacted the lives of 25 students. The SOE anticipates two more scholarships will be given out for the 2020-2021 academic year. There is no doubt that Marguerite’s generous legacy continues. SPRING 2020 EDLINE 31
