This fund was established in memory of Wanda Gallup Busharis (1924-2014), Oneonta High School Class of 1941.
Wanda was born in Cobleskill and moved to Oneonta as a child. After graduating from Oneonta High School she spent a year caring for her mother, Jessie Allen, who was suffering from cancer. After her mother died Wanda moved to New York City and studied to be a physician’s assistant. She found employment with Dr. William J. Hoffman, a cancer surgeon on New York’s Upper East Side. At a college dance a few years after World War II ended she met a Navy veteran, John Busharis, and they were married from 1951 until his death in 2013.
Wanda left Dr. Hoffman’s practice to raise two children in the 1960s. By the time she returned to work in the 1970s the medical field had changed tremendously, and she pursued administrative work instead. However, she never lost her interest in medical issues, particularly medical research.
Wanda also treasured her friendships with fellow Oneonta High School alumni, and traveled regularly for OHS reunions until her health no longer allowed her to do so.
This scholarship is intended for a student from Oneonta High School who intends to pursue higher education in a health-related field.
Additional information on scholarship criteria can be obtained from the guidance department at Oneonta High School.