We’re so delighted that after 50 years, founding Wisconsin Humanities board member Gerald (Jerry) Viste is still a dear friend and supporter.

Having grown up on a farm, Jerry always felt strongly about making humanities projects accessible to rural communities. Throughout his life, Jerry lived up to his commitment to expanding humanities efforts in Wisconsin. In 1972, he became one of the first board members of Wisconsin Humanities, helping to set the course for the coming decades.

Today, Jerry’s ethic of service and his passion for Wisconsin are carried forward on our board by his son, John Viste. For the past five years, John has brought us his expertise in education and community development. From decades of work in the Middle East, to the work he accomplishes right here in Wisconsin, John has always understood the positive change communities can achieve through engagement with the humanities.

Much like his father, John also believes the world would not be complete without the humanities. It’s one of the many reasons that he is still so involved in humanities work and contributes to the mission of Wisconsin Humanities. But he is concerned that financial support for the humanities isn’t what it should be. One of the biggest differences between humanities work in the U.S. and his work overseas, he says, is the funding.

“We were dealing with millions of dollars in grants, whereas a lot of the organizations I’m working with now—we’re talking about giving $2,000 to people,” says John. “It’s a huge difference.”

He is especially excited about WH’s new Community Powered initiative, which you can read more about in this issue.

“I think it’s wonderful, and we need to do more of it,” John says about the initiative.