Records of the Westfall Memorial Scholarship

Alfred R. Westfall was born on June 25, 1889, in Darlington, Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1911 from Park College in Parkville, Missouri, and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 1930. Westfall married Dollie Mae Towne on August 18, 1914, and had 4 children, Alfred Jr., Ralph, Eleanor, and Richard. Westfall became an instructor of English at Colorado A & M (now Colorado State University) in 1913; he was promoted to assistant professor in 1918, associate professor in 1922, and professor and head of the Department of English and Modern Languages in 1926. He specialized in English writers of the 16th century, specifically Shakespeare and American Shakespearean Criticism.

He was active in the Fort Collins Writers Club, Pi Kappa Delta, Sigma Rho, Tau Kappa Alpha, and Phi Delta Epsilon Fraternities, the Colorado-Wyoming Academy of Science, member and president of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, member and president of the National Forensic Society, Pi Kappa Delta, and editor of the Magazine Forensic, for fifteen years. Albert Westfall died on April 11, 1953, in Fort Collins, Colorado. After his death, friends and family established the Westfall Memorial Scholarship, which was to be awarded to a student studying the humanities. In 1968, the new 12-story dormitory on campus was named Westfall Hall in his honor.

The Westfall Memorial Scholarship was established in 1953. This endowed scholarship honors Dr. Alfred Westfall, a faculty member from 1913 to 1953 and chair of the Department of English from 1926 to 1953. The award is made possible by contributions from friends, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Westfall family, who recognize the importance of scholarships in encouraging students to aim for excellence. The scholarship provides financial support for students who have demonstrated superior achievements or skills in humanities research and creativity. The criteria for this scholarship are established at the college level, and a committee of faculty from various departments select the recipient.