When Russell Jentgen (’70) passed away in 2002, his widow Dinah (’71) and their daughter Alanna (’05) wanted to create a lasting legacy in his name. Since so many happy memories were associated with New Mexico State University, they decided to establish a scholarship in the geology department where Russell had earned his degree. The Russell Jentgen scholarship endowment was created in 2002.
The Jentgens met when they were students at NMSU and married after Dinah graduated in 1971 with a degree in English and education. She went on to obtain a Master’s in Library Science and now is the librarian at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility. Russell worked as a geologist with the BLM. They returned to Las Cruces in 1992 after several moves including Santa Fe and Farmington.
Dinah, who loves the desert environment, states, “We have been blessed in our lives and I believe that as you give, you receive a hundredfold. It has been a real treat to work with the geology department and meet the students who have received Russell’s scholarship.”
“Russell had to work his way through college and there were many times when he thought he was going to have to give up school to support himself. My hope is that this scholarship will enable a good student to drop a time-consuming, energy-zapping job and dedicate him or herself to geology studies. Russell would have appreciated that kind of assistance when he was at State,” she adds.
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