The William and Eileen Weiblen Scholarship Fund in Mechanical Engineering

 The William and Eileen Weiblen Scholarship Fund in Mechanical Engineering was established in the University of Maine Foundation in 2009 with a gift from William, a member of the Class of 1961, and Eileen Weiblen. The principal and income from this fund shall be used to provide financial assistance for students enrolled in Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology.

William Weiblen had an accomplished 38 year career at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Connecticut. Throughout his career, he had the extraordinary opportunity to work on every commercial and military jet engine model the company produced, as well as some of its rocket engines.

In 2009, Weiblen was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for his extraordinary leadership, versatility, dedication and service that had an enduring impact on ASME as well as Pratt and Whitney. He was ASME's 120th president and was recently named an Honorary Member of the Society. First awarded in 1880, the founding year of the Society, Honorary Membership recognizes a lifetime of service to engineering or related fields. The award was conferred on Weiblen during ASME's 2009 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida this past November.

Eileen Weiblen graduated from the New Britain Connecticut Hospital School of Nursing after which she began her 26 year career as a registered nurse. Her career spanned many nursing disciplines ranging from newborn infants to geriatrics. Her peers considered her an outstanding professional both in her knowledge and application of nursing skills as well as the compassion she showed for each of her patients.

The Weiblens took advantage of the Foundation's 75th Anniversary Matching Gift program that was initiated in honor of the Foundation's 75 years of endowing excellence in support of the University of Maine. Under this program, the Foundation complements new scholarship funds created with a gift of $15,000 with a match of $5,000 to boost a fund to the University of Maine's minimum named, endowed level of $20,000. Due to the popularity of the Matching Gift Program, the Foundation extended this special incentive until June 30, 2010. For more information about the Matching Gift Program or the Weiblen Scholarship fund, contact the University of Maine Foundation.