Newsletter
November 2021
Celebrate with us as we continue Pete's legacy of kindness, giving, and education!
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Help fund more scholarships today!
This November, we started what's sure to become a tradition of setting up ofrendas (or "little altars") for our Dad on Dia de los Muertos. This is a big day in Las Cruces, bringing together family and friends to remember and celebrate loved ones lost.
The Doña Ana Village Historic Preservation Committee hosted a Dia de Los Muertos festival, where friends and families came and filled the Doña Ana Plaza with their ofrendas. We were so happy to see one of Dad's friends honor him with his own altar, in addition to the ones we set up in the plaza and at our homes.
Our STEM Scholars
We are pleased to announce that our first scholars, Ivana Melendez-Aguirre and Luis Meraz, have completed their first semester at NMSU!
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Ivana changed her major from Biochemistry to Biology. She has all A's but she is finding chemistry challenging!
Luis is majoring in Aerospace Engineering and is doing well. They are so grateful for the opportunity you all have given them in Pete's name.
Dad's Story
Though he was valedictorian of his middle school and had the highest GPA in his high school, Pete Drexler found himself ready to graduate without intentions of pursuing a higher education. His family could not afford to send him to college, and so he was set to follow his father into the construction business.
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His teachers had other plans, however. As a result of their initiative, Pete was offered scholarships in both math and physics. Though he may have slightly broken his math teacher's heart by pursuing physics, he became the first of his family to attend college and receive a college degree.
His career as a physicist was incredibly rewarding. He is also the father of 8 children, all of whom he helped support in attending college, resulting in over twenty degrees and advanced degrees among them. He attributed his success to his teachers and others who enabled him to get the valuable education he deserved.
Help us celebrate Pete's life as we continue to help more students collectively make their jump to college.
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We are gearing up to solicit applications for next year. 100% of whatever you give will go to students who need a boost, as our Dad did when he was a teen. We all have seen what a little bit can do...for so many lives.
In other news, we're very excited that the James J. ("Pete") Drexler Scholarship is now officially (after months of waiting for final notification) a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which means that all donations are tax deductible!
501(c)(3)
nonprofit
organization
If you feel called to contribute, use the PayPal Donation site directly, or send a check payable to the James J. ("Pete") Drexler Scholarship to 24 S. Weber St., Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.
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Thank you so much for all you have done!
Get Involved
If you would like to continue to help support well-qualified students like Luis and Ivana in the future, and continue our dad’s legacy, please contact us or use the link below.
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James J. "Pete" Drexler Scholarship Committee
https://www.jamesjdrexlerscholarship.com/
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CONTACT US: info@jamesjdrexlerscholarship.com
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DONATE: https://www.jamesjdrexlerscholarship.com/get-involved-1
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