Rex Syndergaard Scholarship

Parley Rex Syndergaard was born in Mt. Pleasant, a small town in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. He went east to attend Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, on a scholarship. He received his MA degree in American History from Washington University and his Ph.D. in European History from St. Louis University.

He loved teaching but for several years, at the urging of a former student, he was the editor of a small daily newspaper in Taylorville, Illinois. When he returned to teaching it was to Eastern Illinois University where he was a Professor of History and department chairman. When not in the classroom, he could be found in the student union smoking his pipe and enjoying conversations with faculty and students alike.

For many summers he and his wife, Patty, conducted tours to Europe, especially France. He had served in the European theatre with the Field Artillery of the United States Army from 1943-1945. During the war, he had developed a special connection to France and its people. Dr. Syndergaard died at the age of 62 of pancreatic cancer. His four daughters all graduated from Eastern. They and his wife established the Dr. P. Rex Syndergaard Scholarship. Family, friends, former students, and associates of Dr. Syndergaard continue to contribute. The scholarship recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of history and is awarded annually to a graduate student or upperclassman with a preference in teaching.