Betty Butcher

Betty Butcher (1933-2020) graduated from UW-Oshkosh with a BS in Speech in 1972. After earning a customized master’s degree in theatre from UW-Green Bay, Betty embarked on a robust career of service to the community through her joy of theater. Betty was an active director at the Oshkosh Community Theatre and established Drama Lab, a group with a focus on more serious theatre. She created the Sunrise Troupers, a theatre group for those with Cerebral Palsy. She was also a Director of Activities for a Nursing Home, taught speech at UW-Oshkosh, and volunteered herself and her trained performers to provide SWAT training for local and the greater Fox Valley police forces. Betty also established and owned a Comedy Sportz improvisational comedy troupe, which still preforms today as Comedy City and co-founded a Mysteries Made to Order group that performed comedy murder mysteries.

Betty established the Allen K. Butcher Music Education Scholarship in 2006 in memory of her late husband, Allen. Allen was a well-known Fox Valley trumpeter and a member of the UW-Oshkosh music faculty from 1971 to 1995. Allen believed that music education was critical in reaching out to others, promoting a deeper understanding of music, and therefore, a deeper appreciation for, and love of, this wonderful art form. Through this scholarship, Allen’s family and friends hope to continue to promote Allen’s ideals, which include a love of people, music and music education.