WAAL Educational Foundation

In 1990, WAAL established a scholarship in the name of the late W. Dale Phillips to support African-American law students at Wisconsin's two law schools—Marquette University Law School and the University of Wisconsin Law School. In 2004, WAAL renamed the award to the VelanDale Scholarship to also honor Vel Phillips' trailblazing achievements. Vel passed in 2018 and Dale in 1988, but their legacy of activism and service continues through these scholarships.

WAAL now awards law students the VelanDale Scholarship, the Hon. Maxine A. White Book Scholarship, and the Hon. Charles N. Clevert, Jr. Scholarship.

501(c)(3) Status:
Recognized as a federal tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity in July 2002. Contributions are deductible under section 170 of the Code and eligible for tax-deductible bequests and gifts.

History of Vel and Dale Phillips

Dale Phillips

W. Dale Phillips was born in Omaha in 1922. He earned his B.S. from UW-Madison in 1946 and J.D. in 1950. With his wife Vel, they formed the law practice Phillips & Phillips in Milwaukee and were the first husband-wife team admitted to the U.S. Eastern District of Wisconsin. Dale was active in the Black Lawyers Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, Alpha Phi Alpha, and NAACP. He passed in 1988.

Vel Phillips

Velvalea "Vel" Phillips, born in Milwaukee in 1923, was a woman of many firsts. A Howard University graduate, she earned her J.D. from UW Law in 1951—becoming the first African-American woman to do so. Vel was the first woman and African-American elected to Milwaukee’s Common Council, the first Black judge in Wisconsin, and the first woman elected as Secretary of State in 1978. She passed in 2018 at 94, leaving behind a legacy of service and justice.