By George Ledbetter
Sherri Sides' gift honors her late parents while helping turn students' educational dreams into reality.
A Nebraska Panhandle music educator with three degrees from Chadron State College and deep family ties to the institution has established a scholarship for education students as a key part of her estate plan.
Sherri Marie Sides says creating the Thoendel Sides Education Scholarship at CSC in memory of her parents, Wayne and Virginia Thoendel Sides, was the natural thing to do because of the four generations of educators in her family and her own positive experiences at CSC.
"I come from a family devoted to the process of education and education of youth. I wanted that to continue as a legacy in my family and as part of my legacy," Sherri says.
Sherri was born in Chadron while her father was completing his degree in industrial technology education at CSC. A wing of the Burkhiser building is named for her grandfather, Frank Thoendel, who was a professor. Her grandmother, Ruth Thoendel, once ran the campus bookstore. Sherri's mother, two brothers, four uncles, an aunt and two cousins also have degrees from Chadron State, and many family members have gone into education, Sherri says.
When Sherri's father got a job as an industrial tech teacher with Gering Public Schools, the family moved to the Scottsbluff area, where she grew up and graduated from high school.
Sherri had an early affinity for music and was studying at Western Nebraska Community College when her vocal cords began to show damage that a doctor said would keep her from ever singing again. She was recruited to CSC's music program by Dr. Alfred Blinde, who, along with Dr. Leonard Paulson, prescribed a regimen of rest and retraining that restored her vocal abilities.
"Those two men saved my voice," she says.
Graduating in 1983 with a degree in vocal and instrumental music, Sherri followed the family tradition and became an elementary music teacher for Gering Public Schools, a job she had for 23 years. In 1997 she completed a master's degree in education at CSC and returned to the college again in 2002 for a K-12 education administration endorsement.
Dr. Margaret Crouse and Dr. Lee Moeller were powerful influences during her graduate school experience at CSC, says Sherri.
The last seven years of her teaching career were spent in an Omaha Public Schools elementary fine arts magnet school. Teaching students from an inner-city cultural background was a new and rewarding experience, she says.
After a health issue led Sherri to retire from public school teaching, she moved back to the Scottsbluff area and began giving private lessons in guitar and voice. In 2017, shortly before her father passed away, Sherri acceded to his insistence that she try publishing and performing music on her own.
Following a year spent researching the intricacies of the commercial music business, Sherri released her first single, "It's Legion Park." The song was quickly accepted by several music streaming platforms, which encouraged her to record other pieces. Now, five of Sherri's songs can now be found on various internet music services. Another is coming soon, and she is inspired to continue composing and performing.
"I did it because of a promise I made to my father. Now it's become an exciting passion," she says.
Sherri says when her medical issues surfaced, she began thinking about estate planning and was inspired by her family's heritage and her parents' example of caring for each individual student to create a scholarship for education majors.
"I want that to continue. I want educators out there who take care of the entire child," she says. "What better place for my estate to go than to a scholarship for educators?"
Creating the scholarship at her alma mater was a natural decision, Sherri says. She hopes her example can inspire others to make similar arrangements.
"In this day and age children are struggling to go to college," she says. "If someone has the opportunity, as I did, to assist someone in getting their degree, I think it's a moral responsibility."
To learn more about ways you, like Sherri, can put a CSC education within reach of deserving students, contact Ben Watson at 308-432-7007 or bwatson@csc.edu.