Dale D. Kraus, former Fairfield resident, has established the Kraus Family Scholarship in memory of those family members that lived in the Jefferson County, Iowa from 1980 through 2005, both currently living and deceased. They include Julie (Kraus) Luedtke, Daniel D. Kraus, Jennifer (Kraus) Kearney (d), Susan L. Kraus (d), and Dale D. Kraus.
Julie, Daniel, and Jennifer all graduated from Fairfield High School and graduated from the University of Iowa with honors. Julie lives with her family in Waynesboro, VA and is employed as a speech-language pathologist. Daniel is an acclaimed writer of novels and a film maker living with his wife in Evanston, IL. Jennifer was a chemical engineer employed by the pharmaceutical company Merck and she was also a private photographer until her untimely death in 2023. She also lived with her family in Waynesboro, VA.
Susan L. Kraus, wife and the devoted mother of Jennifer, Daniel, and Julie, was employed at the Fairfield Veterinary Clinic in Fairfield, IA until her death in 2005. Dale grew up on a dairy farm in southern Illinois. He earned degrees from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in Forestry and Michigan State University in Resource Development. He was employed by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) most of his career in southeast Iowa where Dale assisted rural communities, cities, counties, and businesses in various capacities with planning, securing technical assistance and securing funding for a wide variety of community and rural development projects. He retired from USDA in 2004. He is retired and now lives with his current wife Mary Jo Kraus in Kalona, IA. Throughout his life he has served in a variety of volunteer capacities, has been active in local Christian churches where he has lived, enjoys the outdoor, landscaping, and supports various conservation initiatives. Dale served as Treasurer on the Board of the Greater Jefferson County Foundation until 2013.
