Daughter Gifts Scholarship in Father’s Name
From cornet to colonel, Vladimir Pospisil made use of his time at St. Mary’s
The love of music for Vladimir Pospisil (B.M.E. ’54) turned into a stepping stone that took him to multiple career paths, including military service around the world.
As a way to honor her father, Karen Pospisil (B.B.A. ’76) helped found the Vladimir A. Pospisil Endowed Music Scholarship, which will assist undergraduate music majors.
Growing up in Flatonia outside of Houston, Vladimir Pospisil played the cornet in high school before coming to St. Mary’s University to pursue a degree in Music Education. Living off-campus with an aunt and uncle in San Antonio, he took the bus home Friday evenings to play weekend events to earn money, and returned to San Antonio on Sunday evenings.
Mr. Pospisil joined the St. Mary’s Army ROTC, graduating with a commission as a second lieutenant and retiring as a colonel in 1977. His service included overseas tours in Germany, Korea and Vietnam. He was in a field artillery battalion, provided aerial combat support in Vietnam and served at the Pentagon under Gens. William Westmoreland and Creighton Abrams.
Mr. Pospisil would also go on to become a Master Army Aviator and serve in the Pentagon, and later served on various boards and commissions after retiring from the military and moving to New Braunfels. He also earned two master's degrees: one from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in Education, and another from Texas State University in Public Administration.
Originally Mr. Pospisil wanted to be a teacher, but he said a military career offered him the chance to travel. He credits St. Mary’s with providing him an education that allowed him to have multiple career paths.
“It’s fortunate when opportunity meets education,” Mr. Pospisil said. “It just happened to work out that way for me.”
Karen Pospisil followed in her father’s footsteps by joining the SSt. Mary’s Army ROTC program and then serving in the National Guard before retiring as a lieutenant colonel after 23 years.
Moving around in a military family, Karen Pospisil said attending St. Mary’s after high school was an easy decision. She hopes the endowed scholarship can bring some relief to students in the future.
“I want them to use it wisely, so they don’t have to take on much debt,” Karen Pospisil said.
Learn how you could impact St. Mary’s students by creating an endowed scholarship like Karen Pospisil, or in another way. Simply contact Joel Lauer at jlauer@stmarytx.edu or 210-436-3138 to learn more.
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