Hans Wolf’s Legacy of Excellence
Posted by Morgan Spano on Jan 27th 2023
As January 27th approaches, we mark the 5 year anniversary of the unexpected passing of our founder, Hans J. Wolf.
Anyone who knew Hans knew he was an avid learner about any topic. He showed a special interest whenever you came to him with a new tidbit of information and always made you feel like he had your undivided attention.
He loved to mentor and always tried to get those he knew to strive for their next level, whatever that might be for them. Many of us have stories that highlight the kind of mark Hans left in our memories and how we still cherish those memories to this day.
This led us to the creation of the Hans Wolf Memorial Fund through our community college, McHenry County College. To date we have awarded over $10,000 to help many amazing young people receive their associate degree in science or engineering.
If you’d like to contribute to the scholarship fund, click “Donate Here” and be sure to choose the Hans Wolf Memorial Scholarship for the ‘Designation’ of your donation. We thank you for your kind generosity.
Message from a ‘Hans Wolf Memorial Fund’ Recipient
Hello,
I hope you are doing well. I am reaching out to share some really great news with you! I graduated this past may with my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. I was able to graduate with highest honors. This upcoming week I will be starting my new full-time position as a design engineer with Milwaukee Tools in Wisconsin.
I would like to say thank you again for the scholarship and the help you and your family gave to me during my time at MCC…The car team I was on was also able to successfully compete in Rochester, NY. I was in charge of designing and implementing the brake system on the car. Thank you again, I am where I am today because of people like you and your family.
Regards,
Cesar Lopez Graciano
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mechanical Engineering | May 2022
It’s through your generous contributions that Marshall Wolf Automation is able to assist people like Cesar with their education in the engineering world. We look forward to many years to come of continued excellence.
Wish to learn more about Hans or his impact on our lives? Below are a few of our previously written excerpts about him:
Lastly, a message from Karin; Hans’ youngest daughter:
Unexpected and out of order death hits you like a wrecking ball. Your world is turned upside down, inside out, and the wind is permanently knocked out of you. You are thrust onto a roller coaster ride that you never got in line for and there is no exit way off of.
Seeing someone you love die or losing them under traumatic circumstances changes you in ways you could never prepare yourself for. You are suddenly constantly aware of their absence while the rest of the world seems to carry on at warp speed. Suddenly, you are grieving everything they once were and are not more. You carry the grief of their death with you like a badge of honor, for without it you fear they will all but be forgotten.
I have found this to be especially true with the sudden death of my Dad. The loss of your father changes your life forever. Nobody loves you quite like your dad does. My Dad was my hero, my protector, my first love. He was so incredibly full of life, and he was gone in an instant.
I quickly found that grief at times feels so much like fear. You fear that you will forget them, that your memories of them will fade or become fuzzy. You fear who the next person to die will be. You fear that you are not making them proud. You fear that the empty, painful feeling inside of you will linger forever. I could go on and on….
There is a very fine line between despair and gratefulness in grief. It has taken me a long time to come to a place where the memories of my Dad bring me joy and do not move me to tears. It takes a lot of self-reflection, hard work, and healing to get past the despair so that you are able to see the ways your life has been blessed by your loved one. I thank God every day for my Dad and for the amazing memories I have with him. I talk about him to my son all the time. I don’t ever want him to forget his PaPa.
What I have learned, and trust me, I have learned it the VERY HARD way, is that the world is not going to stop for my grief. I had a choice to make and I was not going to let the legacy of my Dads death be that it destroyed me. When I am at my best, I am my Fathers daughter! One of the best ways to honor a loved one is to talk about them. To say their name! Tell stories about them. Keep them alive. I am so proud of my family for not only starting but keeping the Hans J Wolf Memorial Scholarship Fund going for nearly 5 years now. I know that my Dad would be so honored and so overwhelmed by everyone who has already generously donated. I can only hope that we can continue to keep this scholarship going for years to come and continue to help other young engineering students follow their dreams.
If you have taken the time to read this, Thank You. I know my Dad must have touched your life in some way. Please know that you likely touched his in some way as well.
Karin E. Wolf