Annette LaMaire

This scholarship was established to honor the life of Rodolfo E. Vilaro and his teaching career spanning 40 years. Born and educated through college in Puerto Rico, after graduate school, Rudy taught Spanish and English in high schools in Illinois. In the last half of his career, he taught university students who were preparing to teach in elementary schools, with emphasis on bilingual education. His wife, Annette Buurstra LaMaire, also worked in the educational arena as a university librarian. It is because of their love for education that she would like to establish this scholarship in Rudy’s honor to encourage students to pursue a career in teaching.