The Jane and Wesley Hubbard Scholarship Fund was established in 2009 from the estate of Wes (“Hub”) Hubbard. Hub was a lifelong resident of Sturgis and a graduate of Sturgis High School. He grew up in the Great Depression, a man of humble means growing up poor in tough times. These difficult years made a lasting impression on Hub as he learned the value of a hard-earned dollar and the importance of saving what was earned.
Hub met his wife, Janey, while they both worked at Kirsch Co. Janey had moved to Sturgis in 1942 from Illinois and the two married in 1945. While working at Kirsch, Hub and his brother Albert started Hubbard Music Co. which bought, installed, and serviced coin-operated machines in Sturgis and the surrounding area for many years. Janey had her own business maintaining and cleaning cottages on Klinger Lake for more than 20 years. In her later years, she started Janey’s Back Door Ceramics which Hub helped her with upon retiring from Kirsch after 35 years as a machine operator/material handler.
Health forced Janey to sell her ceramics business, eventually losing her battle with cancer in 1996. Hub lived nearly 12 years after her death, passing away in 2008.
Before Janey’s death, they decided to leave the majority of their estate to the Sturgis Area Community Foundation. They always believed that young people deserved a hand up, not a handout, to assist them in their educational endeavors which they had missed out on.
The Jane and Wesley Hubbard Scholarship Fund awards 4 scholarships annually to students with financial needs and good work history.