Dr. Virginia \u201cGinger\u201d Berninger\u2019s \u201967 father, alumnus Oscar S. Wise \u201940, was a pacifist committed to wiping out Nazism who served in World War II as a medic in the Pacific Theater. He carried a Bible, not a gun, and earned a Silver Star for saving lives at the Battle of Peleliu. Her mother, Lucille Fike Wise, supported many ecumenical activities to promote world peace and understanding. For several years after the war, her mother hosted refugees in their urban Philadelphia home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up in a family where my father was often talking about the importance of finding alternatives to conflict and war, and why we should support pacifism,\u201d Berninger said.<\/p>\n
To honor her parents and their pacifist legacy, Berninger and her husband, Dr. Ronald W. Berninger, established the Wise-Fike Endowed Scholarship at Elizabethtown College. The scholarship supports studies and work experiences that emphasize peace, conflict resolution, and interfaith leadership for students who are mentored through the College\u2019s Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just think it\u2019s so important in our world right now to educate people about ways to deal with conflict resolution,\u201d Berninger said.<\/p>\n
As a Psychology major attending Etown on a full scholarship, Berninger\u2019s interest in ecumenism and pacifism grew exponentially. She received guidance from and was inspired by courses taught by Religion and Philosophy professors Armon Snowden, Glenn Snowden, and Stanley Sutphin, and courses taught by Psychology professors David Lasky and Joel West. She also noted the influence of Donald and Hedda Durnbaugh, two of the Young Center\u2019s founding fellows, and credited Hedda with encouraging her to pursue a career at a time when women were often not encouraged to work outside the home.<\/p>\n
On campus, Berninger was involved with The Etownian and the Psychology Club, and a variety of activities. But her time spent working with the campus minister and participating in outreach projects in Harrisburg, Pa., and in Quaker work camps on weekends in Philadelphia for three years made the biggest impact. Through the work camps, she learned that she could earn teaching credentials if she took courses at Temple University and taught in an inner-city school in Philadelphia for one year.<\/p>\n
After earning a BA in Psychology at E-town, Ginger began her career as a teacher in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh public school systems and the Frederick, Md., public school system. While teaching in Pittsburgh, she earned a master\u2019s degree in Reading and Language from the University of Pittsburgh. After teaching elementary, middle school, and high school students for nine years, Ginger became a full-time student at Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Psychology.<\/p>\n
She went on to a 36-year career in higher education. She served as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Wellesley College in Boston for six years, and at the University of Washington in Seattle for 30 years.<\/p>\n
Ginger was also a licensed psychologist who did clinical work and a professor who taught courses, advised graduate students, did interdisciplinary research, served as Principal Investigator on NIH grants for over two decades and co-investigator on other grants, and engaged in many service activities. Now living in a retirement community in Baltimore, she remains professionally active. In 2019, Ginger received the College\u2019s Educate for Service Through Professional Achievement Award.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the Educate for Service motto is really valuable, but so is appreciation for ecumenical groups and diverse perspectives, which I experienced as a student at Etown, and a principle that I believe should continue to be nurtured in current and future students,\u201d Berninger said.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ginger and Ron continue their involvement with the Young Center and remain strong and steadfast supporters of the College\u2019s historic principles of peace, nonviolence, social justice, and human dignity. They encourage others to promote these values by supporting student scholarships for peace studies.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you get older, you can become very frustrated with all the wars and conflict in the world and feel like there is nothing you can do,\u201d Berninger said. \u201cBut one thing you can do is contribute to scholarships for peace studies for the younger generation, because they have the potential to make a difference over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Build Brighter Futures<\/strong><\/p>\n
Elizabethtown College\u2019s\u00a0\u201cBuild Brighter Futures: The Scholarship Campaign for Etown Students\u201d<\/a>\u00a0is the most significant scholarship fundraising effort in the institution\u2019s history and aims to raise $40 million to expand access through scholarship support.<\/p>\n