Yuhas, Phyllis Ann (Nelson) 1922-2006

YUHAS, NELSON, SHAND, WAPELHORST

Posted By: volunteer (email)
Date: 4/18/2006 at 21:35:22

MUNCIE, Ind. — Phyllis Ann Yuhas, 83, of Muncie, Ind., formerly of Newton, died Feb. 21, 2006, at her residence.

Memorial services will be held at a later date. Meeks Mortuary and Crematory in Muncie, Ind., is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be directed to SPCA, P.O. Box 3282, Muncie, IN 47308 or the Yuhas Scholarship Fund, c/o Ball State University Foundation, P.O. Box 672, Muncie, IN 47308.

The daughter of Edward L. and Gladys S. Shand Nelson, she was born Nov. 17, 1922, in Grinnell. She graduated from Newton Senior High School and later from Swarthmore College. She received a master's degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a doctorate from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Yuhas, emeritus professor of history, was one of the founding mothers of international education at Ball State University. In the mid-1960s, she organized the Office of International Programs at the university and inspired faculty and students alike to seek ways to globalize their research and studies. Her promotion of international studies sowed the seeds of faculty-led programs such as the London and Australia Centres and exchange programs, international consortia and short-term summer programs. As a charter member, she led Ball State University into the International Student Exchange Program.

Dr. Yuhas, a resident of Muncie since 1952, was an ardent traveler who spanned the globe in pursuit of a better understanding of world affairs. Such travels allowed her to pursue her passion for mountain climbing, including the Matterhorn and Mt. Kilimanjaro. On many of her trips, she was accompanied by her mother, Gladys Nelson, an accomplished political leader, who served in the Iowa General Assembly from 1950 to 1956.

To honor her daughter's work in international education, Mrs. Nelson bequeathed a trust fund with which Dr. Yuhas endowed the university with the Yuhas Scholarship Fund. This fund supports not only Ball State University students who study abroad, but also provides financial aid for international students to come to Ball State University.

Throughout most of her lifetime, Dr. Yuhas has been a strong supporter of the environment and has participated in many environmental organizations.

Dr. Yuhas was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, the Humane Society of Delaware County to which she devoted more than 20 hours a week, and was president of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Surviving are her nephew, Eric (Ascension) Nelson of Kensington, Md.; her niece, Ingrid (Jim) Wapelhorst of Thousand Oaks, Calif.; and two great nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Yuhas, and her parents.

The Newton (IA) Daily News, Friday, March 3, 2006