Westmont Magazine A Wider View of the World 

Jerry and Glenna Wilger raised their children to be independent and didn’t get involved in choosing colleges. Patti Wilger Hunter ’88 searched for a small school with excellent academics and came to Westmont for its Christian world view. Tom ’90 liked what he saw when he visited his sister and didn’t apply anywhere else. Mom and dad approved.

“We loved the personal attention our children received from their professors,” Glenna says. “They developed close friendships with their teachers.

“Patti and Tom came away from Westmont with a much wider view of the world as Christians,” she adds. “That’s the most impressive part of their experience.”

“Our kids also graduated well-qualified to do graduate work,” Jerry notes. Both went on to earn doctorates in mathematics: Patti at the University of Virginia and Tom at the Colorado School of Mines.

Patti and her husband, David, teach at Westmont; Tom runs Pro-Dop, an operations research company he started in Boulder, Colo. His wife, Jennifer Root Wilger ’91 is also a Westmont alumna.

After owning a variety of aviation-related businesses, Jerry sold them 10 years ago and planned to retire. Then Prison Fellowship asked him to direct a Christian rehabilitation program for inmates within 18 months of release, which he did for eight years. Today he volunteers part time for Child Evangelism Fellowship, developing a program for children of prisoners. Glenna is actively involved with Community Bible Study. They live in Durango, Colo., and spend winters in Phoenix, Ariz.

Through selling businesses and properties, the Wilgers discovered the benefits of charitable remainder trusts. They have named Westmont as the beneficiary of such a trust, which gives them income for life.

“Westmont is one of those things that carries on to the next generation,” Glenna says. “We want to help it continue to be excellent. It was good for our children — we know it will be good for others.”