Leaving a lasting legacy

On Monday, Traditions of Hanover welcomed Moravian University President Bryon Grigsby to its campus for a celebratory luncheon.

Traditions of Hanover resident William “Bill” Werpehowski, a 1951 Moravian University graduate, formerly known as Moravian College, has gifted a $50,000 endowed scholarship to his alma mater.

“Moravian University and Traditions of Hanover have a great history of working together, and many of our students keep that partnership alive through their internships,” said Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian University.

“Today we celebrate Bill Werpehowski, Class of ’51, and the generous scholarship he has created to support Bethlehem students from Liberty High School (his alma mater) or Freedom High School who plan to attend Moravian and will participate in extracurricular activities.”

The Werpehowski Family Endowed Scholarship Fund will directly impact future Moravian students and will give preference to students from Liberty High School or Freedom High School who are involved in extracurricular activities.

“We hope to raise additional funds to help students for generations to come,” Werpehowski said.

Born and raised in south Bethlehem, his father, Boleslaw, a Polish immigrant, worked at the Bethlehem Steel Corp, one of the world’s largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. It was gritty and dangerous but an honest day’s work.

Werpehowski attended Liberty High School and was a star basketball player. He was also a student in the Vo-Tech, learning to become a machinist.

Two neighbors, Steve Sydorak and Larry Rosati, would define his destiny. “They encouraged me to go to college,” Werpehowski said.

During that time, Rosati was the head football coach at Moravian University. He credits both men for their help in procuring a scholarship to the university.

“The college was perfect for me; a small one and a very good educational pick,” he noted of his choice to attend Moravian, which claims to be the sixth-oldest college in the U.S.

The university’s impact on his life is tremendous.

Werpehowski became the first 1,000-point scorer in his junior year at Moravian. He then went on to win the second team All-State honors, averaging 24 points a game as a senior, eighth in the country among small colleges.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education and was the owner of Plaza Realty in Bethlehem. Werpehowski is a Moravian University and Lehigh Valley Basketball Hall of Famer.

“It’s my hope that my endowment and other scholarship opportunities through the university will introduce more Bethlehem students to Moravian—it’s a great ambition of mine and my alumni friends,” he explained.