Joseph H. Hoern and Gladys M. Hoern

The Joseph H. Hoern and Gladys M. Hoern Endowed Memorial Fund was established in 1969 with a gift from the estate of Gladys M. Hoern. Mr. Hoern predeceased her in 1962. Today, the value of the endowment has topped $1 million and provides scholarships for fifty or more students every year.

Joseph H. Hoern, born in 1892, was an inventor who held several patents. One of his most notable inventions was an indexing mechanism for station type machines. Mr. Hoern was co-founder of the Saginaw company, Hoern & Dilts. The company, established in 1946, designed and built machine tools. Hoern & Dilts was dissolved in 1955.

The strong commitment of Mr. and Mrs. Hoern to the value of higher education is further demonstrated by a second bequest left to Delta College to strengthen the faculty and improve educational opportunities.