Phelps honored at dedication ceremony at Wenatchee Valley College
June 3

Media Contact: Stacey Lockhart, WVC Foundation executive director, 509.682.6415, or Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509.682.6436 (Mon. – Thurs.)

May 16, 2016

The family of Jon and Mildred Phelps invite friends and acquaintances to attend a Wenatchee Valley College Foundation dedication ceremony that will honor Jon and Mildred on Friday, June 3, at 1 p.m. outside Wenatchi Hall on the Wenatchee campus. The Phelps will be recognized for their support of the WVC nursing program, and a table will be dedicated in their memory.

Mildred Mae Phelps was born in Chewelah in 1920. She attended business college in Spokane, Wash., where she met her first husband, Dan Waddle. They married in December 1941. Dan was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942. When World War II ended, the Waddles moved to Coeur d’Alene and then to Wenatchee, where Dan worked at Rock Island Dam. He died in an on-the-job accident in 1953. Mildred was referred to a local attorney, Jon Phelps, to help settle her husband’s estate.

Jon Phelps was born in Crosby, North Dakota, in 1918. He attended North Dakota State College of Science during the Great Depression until he ran out of funds. He then accepted a position as a fingerprint analyst with the FBI and moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued his education at American University. Jon enlisted in the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1943, serving in Hawaii and Guam. After his discharge in 1946, he completed his education at the University of Washington Law School and was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 1949. He began practicing law in Chelan County and continued to do so until his retirement in 1996.

Jon and Mildred married in 1954, and Jon became a stepfather to Mildred’s two children, Joy and Terry. Both Jon and Mildred were active in the First Presbyterian Church, as well as numerous other community and volunteer activities, and they were both dedicated golfers. They took numerous trips to Europe, Asia and Australia.

The Phelps moved to Sun City West, Ariz., in the mid-1990s, and then to Bellevue in 2012, to be near their daughter. Jon died in Bellevue in 2014. Mildred passed away in 2015.

The Phelps began their charitable support of WVC in 2007 with a gift of $10,000 for student scholarships. Mildred grew to appreciate great nursing care during several hospitalizations as well as during her years in assisted living. She chose to designate the WVC Foundation in her will to provide support for a nursing scholarship. In early 2016, Joy and Terry created an endowment of $50,000 through the WVC Foundation to establish a new scholarship for future WVC BSN nursing students.

To make a gift to the WVC Foundation, give online through the WVC Foundation secure giving site, www.wvc.edu/foundation, send a check with a note about how the gift should be used to the WVC Foundation, 1300 Fifth Street, Wenatchee WA 98801, or call to schedule a time to explore areas in need of support that may fit your philanthropic interests related to education. The WVC Foundation can be reached at 509.682.6410.