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 A Dream Realized – The Legacy of Wallace P. and Dorothy Monnett

As a young man of the Depression Era, Wallace P. Monnett attended the University of Idaho and earned a degree in business economics in 1933. After graduation, he served in WWII, becoming a decorated officer. Wallace planned a career in forestry, but found a job with Hunt-Wesson Foods following his discharge. He embarked upon a career in sales management that would span three decades.

He was widowed twice before marrying Dorothy Dolby in 1976. A career actress, Dorothy appeared in a variety of stage plays in California, including gigs at the renowned Pasadena Playhouse. Wallace died August 13, 2002. Dorothy followed on March 13, 2003.

Wallace Monnett’s plans to pursue a career in forestry were never realized, but he and his wife have made that dream a reality for others. The Monnetts established the largest scholarship endowment in the history of the College of Natural Resources in 2005, with a gift of more than $1.7 million.

Wallace Monnett demanded and modeled high ethical standards in his profession and in his life. Monnett scholarship recipients also meet high standards, personally and academically. The Wallace P. and Dorothy Monnett Scholarship supports sophomore, junior and senior students who show academic merit, career promise, financial need and initiative in pursuit of an education in natural resources. Through this gift, Wallace Monnett’s desire for a career in natural resources will become a reality for exceptional, committed, deserving students who share his dream.

Jessica Helsley

Jessica Helsley ... the 2005 recipient of the Wallace P. and Dorothy Monnett Scholarship

Jessica Helsley, in the College of Natural Resources (CNR), is a junior majoring in conservation social sciences and plans to pursue a master’s degree in psychology or wilderness therapy. Jessica also is a current recipient of an Access Scholarship, the Jonne Hower Honors Scholarship in CNR, the ASUI Leadership Scholarship and the Dean Vettrus ASUI Scholarship.
“Growing up, people would ask us, ‘What’s your dream in life? What’s your goal?’ Mine has always been to make a difference in another’s life. I want to have an impact on teens who have taken the wrong path, to change their lives, turn them around. I hope through me, the Monnetts will create a plethora of changed lives. I’m incredibly grateful to the Monnetts for that opportunity.”