Kay Sanders

William and Kay Sanders established the Clifford W. Sanders Memorial Scholarship was established in 1985 in memory of their son. Clifford Sanders (1964-1985) was a student at UW-Madison at the time of his death and had taken Cooperative Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) courses at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh while he attended Oshkosh North High School. While at Oshkosh North, he was a member of the math team and student senate, and he was a reporter for the North Star.

The Clifford W. Sanders Memorial Scholarship was renamed to include William after his passing. William Sanders (1937-2001) was a German professor at UW Oshkosh from 1968 until his retirement in 1996. He was active in the Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals and CAPP. Known affectionately as “the Professor,” Bill loved to talk, argue, and pontificate, and he possessed a phenomenal memory. Bill and Kay raised five children, all of whom he taught to argue, sometimes to his regret, but much to the advantage of their intellectual development. Bill was a member of the Candlelight Club, a debate organization which included members from the university, business, and civic communities. Before coming to UW Oshkosh, he taught German at Auburn University, where he also played violin in their orchestra. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1959, after which he spent a year studying at the University of Gottingen in north central Germany and hitchhiking throughout Europe and England. He earned his master’s degree in German Language and Literature from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. He continued his doctoral studies at UW-Madison and the University of Connecticut.