About the Foundation

For over 100 years, Denfeld High School has been an educational beacon in western Duluth communities. First established in 1904, Denfeld High School moved into its current historical setting in 1925.

A Greater Denfeld Scholarship Fund was first formed in 1955 by a group of Denfeld staff and alumni to honor a pair of teachers: Loena Thomey, who died in a military plane crash in 1945, and Lenore Snodgrass, a beloved English teacher who taught at Denfeld for 35 years, until her death in 1953. In 1955, the fund awarded its first scholarship of $150 (about $1,700 in today’s money). Over the next 15 years, Denfeld staff continued to award a small scholarship in memory of Thomey and Snodgrass, but the funds were eventually depleted.

Today’s Greater Denfeld Foundation was established in 1971, again by alumni and teachers. Its first award was a one-year scholarship of $150. Now, the Greater Denfeld Foundation (GDF) scholarships are comprised of fourteen one-time awards ranging from $1000 to $5,000, including six generous memorial scholarships named in honor of members of the Denfeld family who have passed. All are presented to seniors during Denfeld’s Honors Night each spring.

The original goal was to raise $250,000. By 2001, the foundation had assets of $175,000. That year, longtime Denfeld teacher and 1925 graduate Marie Saltwick bequeathed $2.7 million to the foundation, funding its first renewable scholarship. Miss Saltwick, a demanding but fair biology teacher, was a founding member of the GDF. She seldom spent money on herself, mowed her own lawn into her 80s, and quietly gave generously.

In 2006, Armond Hauge, a 1946 graduate, died and left Denfeld $3.2 million to start another renewable scholarship fund. This startling gift was made even more remarkable by the fact that Mr. Hauge was an auto mechanic for most of his life. He got his first job at age six and saved judiciously. Both the Saltwick and Hauge scholarships provide $3,000 renewable grants designed to support four years of post-secondary higher education.

In addition to these scholarships, the “Greater Denfeld Foundation Memorial Fund” was started with contributions from the Harry Fisher/Class of ’55 and the Steve Anderson Memorial Fund to help teachers and clubs fund special needs within the school. Donations from the Memorial Fund provide Denfeld teachers, coaches, advisors and staff with money for items not covered in their budgets to enhance students’ educational experiences.

Including the Marie Saltwick and Armond Hauge donations, the foundation now has a total portfolio of invested assets valued at nearly $9 million.* Since the inception of the Greater Denfeld Foundation, well over $7 million has been invested in the futures of Denfeld students.

*as of March 31, 2024