Christa Schwing endowed this fellowship to honor the memory of her father, Kurt Schwing. Born in Bremen, Germany, in 1909, Schwing immigrated to the United States as an adult, established U.S. citizenship, and remained in the country for the rest of his life. He died in 2002. Kurt Schwing valued his personal connection with the natural world and never lost sight of being an Naturmensch, or “man of nature.” A poem from Goethe’s “Faust,” “Lied des Lynkeus,” best communicates his relationship with nature. The donor hopes this poem’s sentiment will strike a chord with each of the fellowship’s recipients.