The Bruno Schielzeth Memorial Gymnastic Scholarship
Bruno did not have an easy childhood. He was born in Kiel, Germany but his father left while he was still young. His father went to America to make enough money to bring the rest of the family over before Hitler took control of Germany. Great Grandpa Paul actually got conned out of his money and had to start saving again. Bruno was 8 or 9 before they made it to Chicago. He knew no english and was on the small side because of malnutrition so he was picked on a lot by the other kids. His refuge during these years was the local YMCA where he swam, wrestled and learned gymnastics. He worked very hard at these and won many trophies and medals in all of them.
But he knew that he needed an education. Sports only lasts so long. So when his parents locked him out of the house at night, he would go to one of the Forest Preserves near there. He got interested in the trees and flowers and decided to get his botony degree. He went on to get his master’s degree and eventually became the park superintendent in Iowa City. He was the one who established Hickory Hill Park.
So, for Bruno, he turned the two negatives in his life into positive and worthwhile pursuits. He also believed that all children would benefit by learning gymnastics no matter how long they followed it.
Confidence
Respect
Sportsmanship
Etc.
With this in mind, we created this scholarship so that more children would be exposed to gymnastics at an early age.