2012 Maryland Scholarship Recipient – Warren Klug
October 2017 update:
Hello Mr. and Mrs. Herzberg,
Thanks for reaching out. Thank you again so much for the great organization you have created. Thanks for spreading your mission wide and really make a difference in the lives of the kids you provide scholarships to. It was a very powerful experience to meet you all and get to know your family a little bit. We will have to celebrate with crabs sometime! My number is xxx-xxx-xxxx and I currently live in Annapolis. Maybe we can go out for a sail one day soon. I am off for a week to visit a buddy in San Clemente before he deploys. His name is Paul Balezza and I’m sure he would appreciate your prayers. Thank you for all that you do each day.
Warren
Hi Warren – it is so cool to hear from you! I really wish I did not open your e-mail at work. You are too humble to include the fact that you made a very generous donation to Eric’s scholarship fund but I’m going to put it in here so everyone knows the type of person you are. I wish I did not open your e-mail at work because it’s not good for my team to see me crying at my desk. Oh well…too late now. Thank you so much – your generosity is very humbling to us.
Thank you so much for keeping in touch. I would love to take you up on your offer. Maybe I can get Wendi to go. She loves to fish and do stuff like that. Congratulations on having a five year relationship and getting a non-working car to work. There are a lot of similarities in being successful in both of those endeavors! We will surely pray for your friend Paul. I will give you a call soon. Maybe if you are in our area at the right time, you can hear my band too (we are just having fun playing some local gigs).
Much Love
Eric and Wendi Herzberg
Warren Klug is a wonderful young man who has a great future ahead of him. Wendi and I had the opportunity to have dinner with Warren and his parents last month. We really enjoyed our time with them and brought Eric’s 13 year old step-brother Brendan with us. Warren was very kind to Brendan and shared some of his thoughts about how to navigate high school and the teen years successfully.
Warren has plans to be active in service over the summer, participating in Woodwork 2012, a project to build houses for lower income and disadvantaged families. Warren, we are so impressed with your faithfulness, love of God and willingness to use your time and talents to help others. We look forward to staying in touch. God speed to you!
May 2013 update:
Hello again and sorry for the delay. The past year has been pretty interesting. I went through some ups and downs adjusting to college and I joined a few different clubs. I was on the “supply logistics” team for TerpThon which is a big dancing event to raise money for Children’s National Medical Center in D.C. I was involved with YoungLife and another ministry called “Gathering” throughout the year. These Tuesday and Thursday meetings were a nice break from the busy school schedule. First semester I had late classes because I didn’t plan out my schedule too well so I was unable to play club lacrosse as I had planned. Socially, first semester was alright. I met a few really good friends on my floor and I’m sure my first semester fostered relationships that I will have for a very long time. My roommate named Eric and I would frequently play racquetball which is a great stress reliever! Academically, first semester went great. I was undecided in the engineering program and although I was only taking a few engineering courses, I managed to get a 4.0 which I was very pleased with. We built a small hovercraft that was supposed to autonomously navigate an obstacle course and although we didn’t win the challenge, as team leader my professor was very impressed by my efforts and he wrote me a nice note thanking me for my effort and calling me the “top student in his class”.
Winter break was a very emotional and life-changing time for me. My grandmother was slowly losing her life to pancreatic cancer and I was very fortunate that she was at Hopkins Bayview hospital so I was up to see her almost every day. For me, it was a very challenging experience to be there with her along her journey as she finished her life here on Earth. I was very privileged to have so much time with her and that month as done so much to shape how I view life and help me realize how precious each day is.
Second semester was really interesting and surprising for me. I was feeling down and just felt like I wasn’t clicking with anyone in my youthgroups and on a spur of the moment decision, I decided to check out Greek Life. Long story short, I ended up pledging Kappa Alpha Order despite my doubts. I joined with the mindset that I was trying out a new scene that was out of my comfort zone, and at the very least it would be an interesting experience. The pledging process was very time consuming and I ended up getting sick with Pneumonia in early March (which is still doing something to my right lung right now… I should probably get it checked out!). The pledging process brought me very close with 18 other guys so it was nice to feel like I was part of a tight brotherhood. Before pledging, I started playing club lacrosse and I may have seen some playing time, but It would have been too much to try to juggle pledging and practice. However, I plan to play club lacrosse in the fall. This year has been surprising for me. I tried things I never imagined myself doing and I stretched myself to be my best. At times, I know I failed but with faith and determination I was graced to be able to push on. My grades are completely in for second semester but I will let you know as soon as they are (won’t be a 4.0 because I got a B in calc II which is supposed to be one of the harder courses…). I know I put a lot of effort into the courses and even took a history class that was about the history of birthcontrol and homosexuality. I had no idea when I signed up for the course! Needless to say, it made me think about things in a new light and I definitely heard opinions that I was not used to hearing. I have grown as a person and I know I will continue to develop along my journey. Thank you guys again for helping me to further my education and I’d love to hear from you.
P.S. my hair went to Locks of Love!
All the best,
Warren Klug
One Comment
Eric
May 29th, 2013
Hi Eric and Wendy,
I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and keeping Eric close to my heart on this Memorial Day. I think about you all so much. I don’t get on the computer very often after work and fail to let you know that you are in my thoughts.
Eric’s service and sacrifice, and that of your entire family, personalizes everything I come across regarding any aspect of the military. I am so grateful to your family and Eric for having that connection and empathy toward all of our brave soldiers and their families.
Severna Park lost another son, Taylor Wild, this year. Taylor and my daughter Emily went to school together, starting in pre-school. We have known their family since the kids were 3 years old. Our hearts break for every family who has endured such tremendous loss. We are so privileged to not only be benefactors of Eric’s scholarship award, but to come to know him through you and all of the tributes on his website. I visited Eric’s resting place on the day of Taylor’s funeral. It is such a place of honor, dignity and respect from a grateful nation. We consider it our mission to carry on Eric’s legacy of integrity, kindness and love of country.
Warren wrote on Eric’s website to recount his freshman year at the University of Maryland. Once again, we give thanks for the scholarship that was entrusted to Warren. I know he feels a personal sense of responsibility to honor Eric by working hard and helping others.
I hope you all are doing well. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.
Warm regards,
Pat Klug