Harold & Cecelia Sherman Scholarship

Harold S. Sherman was a true Lincolnite – born and raised in the city. He graduated from Cathedral High School. He had a great love for children and parochial schools and enjoyed playing the piano and organ by ear.

During his forty-one year career in the military, he served as an officer in World War II and was a member of the Nebraska National Guard. His last assignment was by former governor James Exxon as Nebraska’s United States Property and Fiscal Officer.

During his service in WWII, he was stationed in England and France. One unique memory about Harold is that he slept through a bombing attack, and he awoke to find a huge crater next to him.

He met his future wife, Cecelia Will, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s student union before he went away to war. After his return in 1945, they were married in 1946 and had two children, Mark and Christine. Mark later died serving his country, a casualty of the Vietnam War. Christine resides in South Carolina.

On their 40th anniversary, Harold and Cecelia hosted an open house and in-home Mass to celebrate. Their house was filled with not only their friends and family, but also their original wedding attendants, and Harold played the piano for his guests.

Sadly Harold was diagnosed with cancer in mid-1989 and passed away on December 26, 1989 after 43 years of marriage.

Cecelia Will-Sherman, was raised in Lincoln and converted to Catholicism seven years after she and Harold were married. She worked for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and for 20 years as an investment accountant for the Nebraska State Treasurer before her retirement.

Cecelia was a member of St. Teresa’s Parish in Lincoln and sang in the choir for many years. She was a member of their Altar Society and served as a volunteer at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center. Like her husband, Cecelia had a great love for children.

Cecelia passed away in 2017. Both Harold and Cecelia have gone to their eternal rest, but left a permanent mark on Pius X through their generosity and support of Catholic education.

Excerpts from student thank-you letters

Past awardees share how receiving the scholarship made an impact in their lives:

“I enjoy Pius because of my friends, the teachers, the classes, the sports and most importantly Theology class and the fact that we have an opportunity to attend Mass before school. It is such a blessing to be able to receive our Lord every day at school. Some of my favorite classes at Pius are Machine and Woodworking, Algebra, and PE. I am also involved in Soccer….This scholarship has helped my family by paying for my tuition. It makes it so much easier for my family to pay my tuition and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be able to attend Pius X.”

“Thank you so much for allowing my family to receive this scholarship. Pius has become a huge part of my life, and I love it more than anything. We are always able to enjoy the most fun of activities, have amazing teachers, and going here has allowed me to make so many new friends. This scholarship has helped my family in tremendous ways. We truly do appreciate it. I am currently involved in the school band. It also plays a huge role in my life here at Pius, and has given me so many opportunities. I genuinely enjoy all of the classes I am currently enrolled in, but one of my favorites has to be my French class….I am nearly positive that I hope to study medicine in college….One of my driving forces for pursuing medicine, is that I would like to help people in the future….Once again, thank you so much for the scholarship! It has changed my family’s life in many ways. Money can be a little tight at times, so this is truly one of the greatest gifts we could have ever received.”