Wiess’s decades of giving to WSU, culminating in five endowed scholarships, reflect his deep belief in education’s power to transform lives and inspire future generations.
John Wiess made his first gift to his beloved alma mater, Washington State University, in 1969. It was the beginning of more than fifty years of generosity, culminating in five scholarships for undergraduate students because, as John said, “They represent the hope of the future.” Wiess also believes that scholarships are a gift with enormous impact: “They can make the difference as to whether or not a student can attend college, and every young person should attend college because it will change their lives in ways they never could have imagined,” he said.
From Great Falls to WSU: A Life Transformed
Wiess was profoundly shaped by his education at WSU. Growing up in Great Falls, Montana, he never imagined the extraordinary path his life would take. It was at WSU—then known as Washington College—where his journey began. There, he met the love of his life and future wife, Geraldine (Gerry) Tschetter, from Spirit Lake, Idaho, and earned the degree that would prepare him for what was to come.
After receiving his BA in police science and administration in 1950, he returned to his hometown, where he was hired as acting superintendent for the County Bureau of Identification for Great Falls, Montana. He was thrilled to be hired in a supervisory position in the town where he grew up. At the time, he thought he and Gerry would start a family and a career and enjoy their life in Montana. But the world had other plans.
Answering the Call: Service to Country and the World
With the onset of the Korean War, Wiess was called to duty. After serving at Fort Benning and Camp Roberts, he was deployed to Korea. Upon his return, the couple moved to Las Vegas, where Wiess took a position with the Identification Bureau of the Las Vegas Police Department.
In 1963, Wiess took on a new challenge, joining the US Department of State’s Office of Public Safety. After months of preparation for his first assignment to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (which included learning Amharic, Ethiopia’s primary language), he and Gerry and their three children were just about to depart when Ethiopia was thrown into the chaos of a civil war as a result of the Bale Revolt against the country’s feudal system and bureaucratic corruption. His assignment to Ethiopia was canceled.
As they all quickly learned, State Department officials and their families have to be flexible. Within a week, the Wiess family was off to Kathmandu, Nepal, where he served as the senior public safety officer for the government of Nepal.
Their journey ultimately took them around the world—from Nepal to Guyana, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Panama. At each location, Wiess worked to improve infrastructure, advise governments, and serve communities in need, all while contending with everything from coups and wars to Chinese spies. These roles gave him a unique perspective on international relations and public safety in some of the world’s most politically unstable regions.
Eventually, Wiess and his wife retired to Spirit Lake, where Gerry had grown up. There, Wiess developed a complex of cottages on the lake, where he and Gerry lived and where his children and their families came to spend the summers. The couple loved their life at Spirit Lake—they had been through so much together, and Gerry had played a major role in advancing his career. When she passed away in 2021, he was devastated. Then, in a double blow of sadness, his first son, Mark, died the following month due to complications from COVID-19.
Honoring Loved Ones Through Endowed Scholarships
To honor his wife’s legacy, Wiess established the Geraldine Wiess Memorial Scholarship, which supports the success of young women at WSU. That same year, he also created the Mark Wiess Memorial Scholarship to assist students majoring in education, Mark’s field of study. In 2022, he created the Tracy R. McClintock Scholarship in Foreign Languages and Literature and the Lorraine Tschetter Vedvig Memorial Scholarship in Pharmacy in honor of his daughter and late sister-in-law, respectively. In 2023, Wiess furthered his commitment by establishing the John Wiess Scholarship in Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Through these scholarships, Wiess hopes to inspire young students to embrace the possibilities of their future careers, as he did. Reflecting on his journey, Wiess remarked, “When I graduated from WSU, I wanted to serve the people of my hometown, Great Falls, and the people of my state, to make it a safer place for them. At the time, however, I had no idea I would later serve my country in the US State Department and work to help people in developing countries around the world.”
Without question, Wiess believes that none of his career would have been possible without his WSU education.
“A WSU degree makes all kinds of things possible,” Wiess said. “But those of us who can should help students get a great education so they have the chance to see what is possible.” Wiess’s generous gift of scholarships is not just for the present generation but for future generations, giving students opportunities they may not have imagined for themselves. His legacy ensures that WSU students will continue to thrive and reach their potential.
If you would like to support scholarships at WSU, please contact Risë McGill at the WSU Foundation at 509-335-7456 or ramcgill@wsu.edu.