Rev. Don Rettig

Fr. Don Rettig joined the Elder faculty as a member of the Foreign Language Department teaching German the fall after his ordination in 1971.  A colleague in the Foreign Language Department commented that “Fr. Don was fresh out of the seminary, ready to begin parish work and eager to get started at reworking the German program at Elder.  He certainly made a lasting impression in both fields.” Fr. Don had made innumerable trips to Germany and forever instilled in his classes an authenticity which only could come from frequent contact with the homeland.  Then in 1974, Fr. Don became the Moderator of the Alumni Association while continuing to teach German and serve as assistant at local parishes.  That guidance and Fr. Don’s dedication to Elder resulted in a record setting career of service among priest/faculty of forty-three years and unprecedented service to the Alumni Association for forty years.  Upon his retirement in 2014, an Elder alumnus from Fr. Rettig’s 1st class/1st bell Old Testament class, made a push to create a scholarship in Fr.’s name.  Through this alum’s significant contribution, along with gifts from several alumni, the scholarship was created.