CSC to salute former state senators

Married to one another since September 1995, both served as state senators from the 49th District, and were strong advocates for Chadron State during their terms.

A native of the Deadhorse Community southwest of Chadron, Scofield was the director of the Career Development Center at Chadron State when she was appointed to the Legislature by Gov. Bob Kerrey in November 1983 to fill the unexpired term of Sen. Sam Cullan. She was elected to the Legislature in 1984 and was re-elected in 1988. Midway through her second full term, she resigned to become chief of staff for Gov. Ben Nelson.

Since July 2002, Scofield has been director of the Nebraska Rural Initiative, a program to apply university knowledge and research to enhance the quality of life and the economy of non-metropolitan areas.

Shortly after Scofield’s resignation as the senator from the 49th District, Gov. Nelson appointed Wickersham, a native of the Bodarc community in northeastern Sioux County who was practicing law in Harrison, to fill the vacancy. He began those duties in January 1991, was elected to the Legislature in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996 and 2000. He resigned from the Legislature in May 2002 to accept Gov. Mike Johann’s appointment as a member of the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission.

Early in her term as senator, Scofield helped Chadron State obtain approval of the $4.7 million Nelson Physical Activity Center. In addition while she was in the Legislature, the college obtained funding to offer the Master of Business Administration Degree, $990,000 was appropriated from cigarette taxes to renovate Memorial Hall and the college received a special $300,000 appropriation to purchase computer equipment.

While Wickersham was in the Legislature, he was instrumental in Chadron State receiving a $165,000 appropriation to replace the theater fly system above the stage in Memorial Hall and he introduced legislation that provided funding for the new Maintenance Services Building.

Although he resigned before the legislation was passed, he initiated efforts to redistribute greater amounts of state scholarship money to public higher education institutions such as Chadron State.

During the state budget crisis early this decade, Wickersham worked to increase sales and income taxes that reduced cuts to higher education and local school districts.

While the honorees necessarily spend much of their time in Lincoln, they also maintain a home in western Nebraska.