The Health of the Planet and its Wildlife is in Her Hands
by Amy Martin
A small pond can make a big impression. Heather van Waasbergen was captivated by the wildlife thriving in the small pond at River Legacy Nature Center in Arlington where she and her family live, she shared in a Zoom interview in August.
Now she plans to become a wildlife veterinarian, thanks partly to the Ned Fritz Scholarship. The stipend is awarded annually to graduating high school seniors active in a North Texas Unitarian congregation who plan to pursue a career focused on supporting nature and the environment.
Genie Fritz and friends established the scholarship in the fall of 2012 to honor her late husband, Ned Fritz, who passed in 2008 at 92. The scholarship is coordinated by the Social Action Council of First Unitarian Church of Dallas.
Texas’s most famous environmentalist and founder of the land preservation movement in Texas, Ned Fritz was essential in efforts to establish a Big Thicket National Preserve, shepherded legislation to create five wilderness areas in East Texas national forests, led a coalition to thwart plans for a Trinity River barge canal, and so much more. To see his complete list of achievements, visit NedFritz.com, click Biography, and select Ned in a Nutshell.
Heather plans to pursue a animal biology major at the University of California, Davis, then complete her DVM at its Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the top-rated school in the world for that field. Internships are essential to veterinarian training. “I got my scuba-diving certification a couple of years back,” said Heather, “so I’m hoping to do some work with marine animals.”
“But I’ve always liked birds,” said Heather. “And especially frogs. As an indicator species, they tell you a lot about the overall health of an environment,” showing the camera a frog pendant she wears as a totem necklace.
Heather graduated valedictorian of Arlington’s Martin High School in June and will attend University of California, Davis this autumn. With an acceptance rate of only 40%, getting in is no easy feat. But attendance at UC is a family tradition. Her mother, Lori, a retired microbiology professor, and father, Robert, who possesses a Ph.D. in marine geology, met in graduate school at UC, San Diego.
Heather attends First Unitarian Church of Dallas, along with her parents and sister Christina. She embodies a line in its affirmation, “Service is our prayer.” Volunteering at Rogers Wildlife Center and SPCA of Texas Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center stimulated her desire to become a wildlife veterinarian.
Heather thinks the most critical challenge in her field will be the effects of global warming: “We see weather patterns becoming more severe, and that impacts animals big time. California wildfires will be a significant problem. Most of the challenges will focus not on the individual animals or species, but on how human intervention impacts the environment and what that does to wildlife.”
Unitarian values factored greatly into her career choice. “Our seventh principle is respect for the interdependent web of which we are all a part is important,” said Heather. “A lot of the Unitarian values are humanistic with respect for all people. It’s important that we also extend that respect to organisms that aren’t humans.”
Heather participated in the annual group trip that First Unitarian’s Coming of Age program takes to Boston. Touring heritage sites associated with the denomination, her highlight was seeing Walden Pond. The pond’s quiet life was pivotal to Henry David Thoreau, as her River Legacy pond was to her. Noting that the esteemed transcendentalist was Ned Fritz’s favorite author brought a quick smile to her face.
“I know he didn’t do it alone,” Heather said, “but his life shows how one person can have a huge impact and how legislation can help preserve environments for decades, even centuries.” We reflect how the River Legacy Science Center wouldn’t exist if Ned had not thwarted plans to transform the river into a concrete channel.
In presenting the scholarship to Heather during a First Unitarian service, Nancy Bateman stated, “The most powerful renewable energy resource we can generate are educated young people. By supporting the college experience of students like Heather, the health of our planet is in capable hands.”
Every year, the North Texas Unitarian Universalist Congregations seeks qualified graduating high school seniors to apply for the Ned Fritz Scholarship. Applications are welcomed in the first quarter of each calendar year. More info about the scholarship here. For questions about the Ned Fritz Scholarship, email NTUUC.
To keep the Legacy of Ned Fritz alive, we welcome you to visit and browse Ned Fritz Legacy, a biographical website about Ned and his wife, Genie, being created by a group of First Unitarian members. Like the Ned Fritz Scholarship, their ultimate goal is to inspire future generations so that new Neds may arise. We welcome your support of the website and the scholarship.
Congratulations, Heather!
