A native Delawarean, Trudy Gilgenast graduated from Pierre S. duPont High School in 1949, received a BA in Education from the University of Delaware in 1953 and an MA in German from Middlebury College, Vermont in 1957. She was the recipient of a Fulbright Student Exchange Scholarship to Munich in 1953-54 and a Fulbright Teacher Exchange Scholarship and a sabbatical from the University of Delaware in 1960-61 to teach at the Max-Josef Stift in Munich. Trudy taught German at the University of Delaware and served as Director of the University of Delaware student study abroad programs in Vienna, Austria and Bayreuth, Germany.

She was the recipient of the Certificate of Merit from the Goethe Institute and AATG in 1984, and the Federal Republic of Germany Friendship Award in 1987. She has lectured on German culture and contributions in Delaware at local schools through the Delaware Humanities Forum Scholars Program.

Titles:

• The Saengerbund: A 150 Year History of the German Club in Delaware
• The Flour is Different