Stanley Talarek

Stanley Talarek (1939-2021) admired his parents and grandparents and when the time came, he fulfilled his parents’ expectation that he would go to college – one generation hoping for more for the next. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 1962 with a degree in elementary education. After graduation, he moved to Beloit where he worked for two years. He then accepted a position at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison and was certified to work with emotionally disturbed children from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Stan’s students, many with multiple handicaps, lived on campus. He remembered them fondly as nice kids who needed the basics. They loved going to school and Stan loved teaching them. His career moved forward, while he gave back to countless students throughout his 32 years at Mendota.

Stan established the Talarek Family Scholarship for special education majors in 2000, in memory of his parents, Sigmund and Johanna Witczak Talarek. He later established the Talarek Family Elementary Education Scholarship through an estate gift. Stan acknowledged that special education and elementary education are very difficult at times but also very rewarding. By creating these scholarships, Stan wanted to provide resources to help the next generation of teachers and students.