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.