New Sharon Sue Betts Wiggins Mier Scholarship Fund open to DeKalb High School seniors

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Community Foundation recently announced the creation of the Sharon Sue Betts Wiggins Mier Scholarship Fund, meant to provide aid to graduation DeKalb High School seniors attending any two-year college or trade school in any area of study.

The scholarship was created to honor the values of Wiggins Mier for her 85th birthday, according to a news release from the Foundation.

Qualifiying seniors will demonstrate “the qualities of integrity, honesty, hard work and grit,” according to the release.

The scholarship opens for applications in 2025 at dekalbccf.org/scholarship.

Born April 27, 1939, in McLeansboro, Illinois, Wiggins Mier’s family migrated north to DeKalb when she was 3 for improved job opportunities, according to the release. Her story begins with humble roots during a time when women were not encouraged to think about college or careers. Years later, her story blossomed as one of overcoming her early environment to excel.

Wiggins Mier worked as the first full-time secretary at First Baptist Church in DeKalb during her last semester of high school. She became secretary to the director of housing at Northern Illinois University, according to the release. She met her first husband, E. Foster Wiggins, at NIU, and they moved east in 1964 to Rhode Island. While he was in graduate school, she worked as the administrative assistant to the chief electrical engineer of commissioned submarines at Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, Connecticut, where she obtained an Atomic Energy Commission secret security clearance.

After having children, Wiggins Mier earned an associate degree with high honors in liberal studies from Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1985, with a particular interest in thanatology and became a hospice volunteer for eight years, according to the release. Her son,David currently is finishing his studies to become a funeral director. Her daughter Lisa, an award-winning elementary educator, is raising Sharon’s grandsons, Jack and Shane, now in their college years.

In retirement, Wiggins Mier has honed her hospitality skills by hosting many church study and support groups in her home. She was instrumental in starting new groups in the church and community to help participants grow in the spirituality of aging. As a deacon, Wiggins Mier helped the church develop its ministry of caring by organizing care teams and crafting unique and personalized homemade greeting cards.

After her first husband’s death, she was a widow for 10 years. She married the Rev. Dr. Donald S. Mier, an American Baptist pastor, in 2016.

“My wife is a proud, though quiet, member of DeKalb High School’s Class of 1957 who forged her path without any extra help or guidance,” Mier said in a news release. “This scholarship is in Sharon’s honor and assists any student who might need encouragement in taking the next step in their development.”

“We applaud Sharon’s amazing accomplishments and appreciate her partnership to assist generations of DeKalb High School Barbs to fulfill their professional and life goals through ongoing education,” said Community Foundation Executive Director Dan Templin in a news release.

Donations to any fund at the Community Foundation, including the Sharon Sue Betts Wiggins Mier Scholarship Fund, can be made online at dekalbccf.org/donate or by mail to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL 60178. For questions or to start your charitable Fund, contact Templin at 815-748-5383 or dan@dekalbccf.org.