Hugo Bilitz (1921-2005) and Janet Bilitz (1925-2013) served Dr. Martin Luther College in the early 1960s—Hugo as director of food service, and Janet as administrative assistant to President Carl Schweppe. Hugo went on to manage food service operations at Western Michigan University-Kalamazoo and Michigan Lutheran Seminary-Saginaw. Through their working years and beyond, Hugo and Janet nurtured and encouraged dozens, perhaps hundreds, of students to pursue the teaching or pastoral ministry, living out Hugo’s unfulfilled wish of becoming a pastor himself. Hugo and Janet were themselves generous givers to the church. As Hugo was fond of saying, “You can’t out-give the Lord.”
This scholarship was established in 2017 by Hugo and Janet’s son Steven Bilitz DMLC ’71 and his wife, Paula.
Income from the fund is distributed to students with financial need.
