Wichita State News: WSU Foundation

Veteran broadcaster Gary Bender creates scholarship in broadcast communication at Wichita State

Gary Bender graduated from the University of Wichita in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts in speech but, during the past 40 years, his fervor has been broadcasting — the focus of his newly endowed scholarship at Wichita State University.

"Gary has experienced enormous success and yet he has maintained a delightful sense of humility," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "His gift establishing the Gary Bender Scholarship in Broadcast Communication in our Elliott School of Communication will make a significant difference in helping us attract and retain outstanding students."

Gary Bender

Bender recently contributed $25,000 to the WSU Foundation to establish the scholarship, which will be awarded for the academic year 2010-11 initially to one student. During subsequent years, it is possible that it will be awarded to multiple students.

"It's a way for me to give back to the university, a thank you to WSU for taking a kid from a small western Kansas town into its fold and launching my career," said Bender.

After a shoulder injury forced Bender off the WU football field, he announced Shocker football and basketball games on KMUW 89.1 FM. While at WU, Bender participated in theater productions and joined Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.

"Going to Wichita University gave me a chance to be a part of things, to experience college," said Bender. "They were four wonderful years."

He continued his education, receiving a master's in radio/television/film from the University of Kansas in 1964. He launched his career calling games for the Jayhawks' basketball and football programs.

Bender is best known for the two NCAA Basketball Championships he called, when Michael Jordan's North Carolina team beat Georgetown in 1982, and the next season when North Carolina State beat Houston with the "shot heard around the world."

He also called the "hail mary pass" when Roger Staubach beat the Minnesota Vikings in 1975. And during the 1988 Calgary Olympics, he covered the speed skating event that involved the tragic story of American Dan Jansen.

Today he is in his 17th season as the voice of the Phoenix Suns.

His wife, Linda, is a native of Abilene, Kan., and received a Bachelor of Arts in Education, majoring in elementary education in 1963 from the University of Wichita. She was an elementary teacher for many years. The Benders have two sons.

MEDIA NOTE: For reporters who would like to interview Bender, he will be attending Rockin' the Roundhouse, hosted by the WSU Alumni Association and the WSU athletic department, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Charles Koch Arena, and he will be the emcee at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Banquet at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, 238 N. Mead. For a photo of Bender, contact Belinda Venters at (316) 978-5624 or belinda.venters@wichita.edu.

MFA student writes about her community's hardships

Natalie Olmsted came late to Wichita State University, but her experiences shaped the focus of her master's project and short story collection, "Voices from the North."

Olmsted, who grew up in Wichita's Hispanic community, worked at a dental office for 13 years. James Rhatigan, former WSU vice president and current WSU Foundation consultant, was a patient there.

She said he came in and talked about WSU. He read her work in the dental office and wanted her to go to college.

"He encouraged me," she said, "and made it really easy for me to walk back through the door."

She took her passion for writing to WSU's creative writing department.

Rhatigan had encouraged Olmsted to major in English, but since she'd been in the medical field for 13 years, she chose health administration.

After the first year, she determined that major wasn't right for her and went back to writing.

"I've always written short stories ever since I can remember," she said.

When she entered the master's program, her focus was on her short story collection, which was about the local Hispanic community.

Her graduate career got off to a shaky start, though. Her husband lost his job, and she had to work full-time while in school.

She said her first semester was tough. She lost her focus, couldn't write and didn't know what she was doing in Graduate School. Writing didn't seem important.

Richard Spilman, associate professor of English and her faculty adviser, told her to give it time.

"He was right," she said, "it came back."

And her collection was under way.

"Voices from the North" is about her community, which community members call North Side, the area near 21st and Broadway in Wichita.

"She has found a subtle and supple style in which to render people we actually care about," Spilman said. "Her stories have social and even political relevance, which will assure continuing interest."

Her inspiration came from her grandparents, who moved north from Mexico to better their lives and raise their family. Her collection is also about her father, whose story she said needed to be told.

"When I realized my community and family had a voice, I really wanted to write (about) that," she said.

She interviewed family members to get a better feel of the times and to understand the prejudice they faced when they first came to Wichita.

Her grandparents and parents were highly discriminated against, and she said she can hear the effects of that discrimination in their voices today.

She used her family's experiences and what she remembered from growing up to write her stories. She also researched Wichita's earlier history.

"Even though it's fictional, I wanted historical aspects, streets and buildings to be as accurate as possible," she said.

She said some short story collections are random pieces put together, but hers tells the story of a community over 50 years through different voices.

Olmsted has had some of her short stories published.

Mikrokosmos, WSU's literary journal, published "The Bread Maker." And Today's Latino Magazine, a bi-lingual magazine in the Mid-Atlantic area, published "Los Patos," a story about her father's golf group.

She hopes to have her collection published after graduation.

After midterms, when her manuscript is due, she plans to pull her three strongest stories and send a proposal for publication to the University of Arizona Press.

Olmsted began working full-time at the WSU Foundation as the planned giving associate in fall of 2006. She works with families when they establish memorials at WSU.

As a student, she was brought in to work on the "Spirit of the Gift" project focused on the histories behind WSU scholarships.

Her fantasy goal is to make a career out of writing. She said people have asked her where she would move to make that happen.

"I wouldn't move anywhere," she said. "I love Wichita."

And, more than anything, she enjoys being on campus and working at the foundation.

"If I'm here in some aspect and able to write, I'll be content," she said.

Teaching scholarship to benefit from Stephanie McCart memorial tournament

A new scholarship, administered through the Wichita State University Foundation, will benefit from the Stephanie McCart Memorial Golf Tournament.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Wedgewood Golf Course, 9007 W. 1st St. in Halstead, Kan.

The 18-hole, four-person scramble costs $150 per four-member team. That includes lunch and two carts. Prizes will be awarded and other contests will be held throughout the day.

All tournament proceeds will go to WSU's Stephanie McCart Memorial Teaching Scholarship, which was established in an effort to provide WSU students the opportunity to begin their teaching careers and positively affect children for generations to come.

McCart, a WSU College of Education student, was only 22 when she died on March 14, 2009, in a car accident. She was set to graduate in May 2009. The McCart family established the scholarship in her memory and also is host of the golf tournament.

Hole sponsorship is available at three levels: Silver-$50; Gold-$100; and Platinum-$150.

Every hole sponsor will receive recognition at the tee box. Platinum sponsors will also receive recognition in the clubhouse and on all literature. Corporate sponsors may also become T-shirt sponsors for $200. Their logo will be displayed on the T-shirts.

To be a sponsor or ask about other sponsorship opportunities, contact Anna Rusche at (785) 336-0226 or annarusche@att.net.

To register, contact Cheryl McCart at 302 W. 2nd, Halstead, or call (316) 835-2495 or e-mail cmccart@cox.net.

Investment returns better than expected for WSU Foundation

Return on investments for the Wichita State University Foundation was -20.9 percent after a tumultuous year running from July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2009.

The foundation's benchmark* was -21.1 percent. After the downturn in the economy, the foundation is on the upswing for the new fiscal year.

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal on June 30, the five largest single-school endowments, which include Harvard, Yale, Stanford University, Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are planning for -25 percent to -30 percent for the fiscal year.

The WSU Foundation investment returns have been better than the benchmark four out of the past five years. Returns also beat the benchmark five-year annualized return.

In an effort to prepare the best investment strategy possible, the foundation's investment committee began a monthly investment review in January.

The committee closely monitors current market conditions, reviews the foundation's current investment mix, considers its outside advisors' recommendations and formulates tactical moves.

The decline in the foundation's endowment resulted in a reduction in the operating funds for the WSU Foundation.

Elizabeth King

"We had a successful fundraising year," said Elizabeth King, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation, "with 99 percent of all of our gifts being restricted by our donors for intended purposes of support for students, faculty and programs. Since the Foundation's operating budget is dependent primarily upon the return on its investments, the operating funds available to the Foundation were severely restricted."

Foundation staff began cutting budgets last fall and for the current fiscal year (FY10), operating expenses have been reduced by almost 33 percent.

"On the positive side, the leadership team and I are striving to minimize reductions relating to our valuable personnel, though we will institute a week-long furlough next March," said King.

Payouts

The payout amounts for each fund are communicated to university personnel in October of each year for the following academic year.

This process allows faculty and staff members, including the deans and scholarship coordinators of each college, to meet financial aid deadlines and to begin planning budgets. For the current academic year beginning in August, the foundation Board of Directors reduced the payouts by 20 percent.

The only exception, supported by WSU President Don Beggs and the foundation board, is to honor scholarships that were made as four-year awards. In consideration of the reductions in payout from endowed funds as well as non-endowed private contributions, the anticipated support from the Foundation for FY10 will be $14.7 million.

* The foundation's benchmark is comprised of various indices such as the S&P 500, Russell 2000, MSCI EAFE, HFRI and Barclay's in proportion to the Foundation's actual asset allocation.

Estate gift from James W. Buck Jr. major element of bequest total for WSU Foundation

With the impact of a down economy, the Wichita State University Foundation still completed its fiscal year as one of its best years in the foundation's history, receiving more than $23 million. In addition, a total of more than $7 million of pledge commitments were received.

Elizabeth H. King

"Our last four years have been the top four years of private support in the history of the WSU Foundation," said Elizabeth H. King, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation.

In all, 11,881 individuals, 1,133 corporations/organizations and 108 foundations/trusts contributed to the foundation from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.

Highlights of the year include:

• Gifts to WSU's Advanced Education in General Dentistry facility included commitments from Delta Dental of Kansas, Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation, the Walter S. and Evan C. Jones Testamentary Trust, Wichita Community Foundation and the Fidelity Bank Foundation, totaling more than $3 million in cash and pledges.

• The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation approved a grant for $2 million, to be paid over the next five years, for Project Lead The Way, a pre-engineering curriculum and teacher training program for middle and high school students.

• Bequests received totaled nearly $8 million.

• Twenty-one endowed scholarships and two fellowships were established at $15,000 or more each.

• Nearly $6 million was received for athletics, fueled by the emphasis on the baseball indoor practice facility.

• The Annual Fund for Excellence, a direct-mail and telephone campaign, raised $441,600, which will provide unrestricted support to WSU's six colleges and University Libraries for the 2009-10 academic year.

• Forty-one new planned gift expectancies were established with a face value of more than $2.5 million.

James W. Buck Jr. Estate

James W. Buck Jr., who was co-owner with his brother, John, of Buck's Department Store in Wichita, died Aug. 12, 2008. The WSU portion of his estate, which is managed by the Bank of America Trust Department, will be directed to the James and Catherine Buck Charitable Trust, named in memory of his parents.

"Of the almost $8 million received from bequests this year, the James Buck estate gift made up more than $5.5 million," said King.

Buck's brother, John, who died in 2004, also requested that the WSU portion of his estate be directed to their parents' trust.

"They were not twin brothers by age, but they were like twins in a certain sense that they did many things together including the plan to have similar estates," said Wilson Baldridge, WSU associate professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

Together the Buck brothers have made a substantial impact on WSU. James Buck's charitable trust funds undergraduate scholarships in education, aerospace engineering, fine arts and business. A portion of his estate, like his brother's, will be used to support and enrich the WSU French program, as directed by Baldridge.

Wichita Community Foundation commits to WSU's dentistry facility campaign

The Wichita State University Foundation has received a pledge of $100,000 from the Wichita Community Foundation in support of WSU's Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) facility campaign.

Joining Delta Dental of Kansas, the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation and the Walter S. and Evan C. Jones Testamentary Trust, the Wichita Community Foundation's gift is another major commitment to the AEGD building campaign.

The structure will house the only dentistry education program in Kansas.

Elizabeth King

"We are appreciative of the enthusiastic support from the Wichita Community Foundation," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "The AEGD program is vital to Wichita and to the state of Kansas. It is because of generous Kansans and organizations, like the Wichita Community Foundation, that we can provide WSU's incoming dental residents with a state-of-the-art building and the tools to grow the program into a national model of excellence."

Recruiting of students and faculty already has begun for the one- to two-year residency program. Beginning in fall 2009, the program will be located at GraceMed Health Clinic, a Wichita community health center that provides medical and dental care on a sliding scale.

Construction on the facility is set to begin the following semester. The building will be located on North Oliver Street, immediately south of the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

It will house the program and a community clinic, exclusively. First-year residents will complete training there before rotating to community and rural health sites.

The proposed cost for phase one, including land, construction and equipment, is $6.6 million. With half of the funds raised, the WSU Foundation continues its efforts to secure the remainder of funding from private sources.

Naming opportunities are available at all giving levels throughout the structure.

The largest of its kind in Kansas, the Wichita Community Foundation serves the philanthropic needs of the Wichita community.

The foundation is a strong and consistent supporter of academia and WSU's urban-serving mission. On behalf of the metropolitan area, it has made several substantial contributions to all facets of the university, including various WSU campaigns, fine arts, athletics and numerous scholarship funds.

For more information about the AEGD facility and program or how to support them, contact Lynette Murphy, WSU Foundation director of development for the College of Health Professions, at (316) 978-3441 or lynette.murphy@wichita.edu.

Jones Trust commitment to benefit WSU's dentistry facility campaign

The Wichita State University Foundation has received a commitment of $250,000 from the Walter S. and Evan C. Jones Testamentary Trust for WSU's Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) facility campaign.

The gift represents the first major commitment to the AEGD facilty since the joint three-year pledge from Delta Dental of Kansas and Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation was announced in October 2008.

The AEGD program will be the only dentistry education program in Kansas.

Students and faculty are being recruited for the one- to two-year residency program, with the projected first class beginning in fall 2009 at GraceMed Health Clinic, a Wichita community health center that provides medical and dental care on a sliding scale.

The following semester, construction is scheduled to begin on the facility to be located on north Oliver Street, immediately south of the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex, which will exclusively house the program and a community clinic.

Residency students will complete their first year of training there before rotating to rural and community health sites.

Elizabeth King

"We appreciate the support of the Jones Trust board members," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "Their partnership will have such a statewide impact. We also believe the confidence they have in our ability to secure additional funding will be the momentum needed to encourage others to unite to, as Linda Brantner, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Kansas said, ensure all Kansans have access to quality dental care."

The cost for phase one of the proposed building is $6.4 million, which includes construction and equipment.

The WSU Foundation continues its efforts to raise the remainder of funding from private sources. Naming opportunities are available at all giving levels throughout the facility.

The Jones Testamentary Trust, which focuses on providing assistance with medical care and post-secondary education to individuals primarily in the Coffey, Lyon and Osage counties of Kansas, is a continuing supporter of WSU.

It gave to the renovation of the WSU dental hygiene clinic's radiology wing, which is named in the founders' honor.

WSU Foundation sees positive change in market value

The National Association of College and University Business Officers report for fiscal year 2008 has been released, and the Wichita State University Foundation has been ranked 90th in endowment fund market value.

The ranking is out of 269 public university-affiliated foundations.

Last year, the WSU Foundation ranked No. 92.

This is a direct reflection of the generosity of alumni, friends and the corporate community in support of WSU, foundation officials said. It also demonstrates the foundation staff's core values by their continued commitment to being good stewards to donors and their endowed funds.

"Our increase in the standings is due to new gifts — especially a large estate gift, and a modest loss in the investments," said Elizabeth King, president and CEO of the WSU Foundation. "We continue to highly value the expertise of our investment committee and their commitment to a diversified investment plan, which will help guide us through this turbulent market."

When the Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the list, the WSU Foundation will be the only foundation/endowment association of the six Kansas Board of Regent's universities with a positive change in market value.

Regent schools include Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, Emporia State University, Pittsburg State University, Fort Hays State and WSU.

In the listing of all institutions, the foundation ranked 254 for its fiscal year 2008 market value of endowment assets. Last year the foundation was positioned at 272.

NACUBO is a nonprofit professional organization representing chief administrative and financial officers at more than 2,100 colleges and universities across the country. It was founded in 1962. NACUBO's mission is to promote sound management and financial practices at colleges and universities.

First WSU professorship in English department result of estate gift

Melba Hughes

The Wichita State University Foundation received an estate gift from Melba V. Hughes in the amount of $421,188, putting into motion the M.V. Hughes Professorship in English in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

It is the first professorship in the English department and qualifies for the Kansas Board of Regents Faculty of Distinction program, which will supplement the payout of the fund, extending the impact of the contribution.

The fund will provide an annual salary stipend, in addition to possible research and professional travel support.

Hughes died Nov. 27, 2007. She left a legacy throughout her family, community and university.

She was a graduate of the University of Wichita in 1944, where she was active in student organizations and made many lifelong friends.

The 1943-44 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities listed Hughes as a psychology major who "will receive an A.B. Degree and plans to do Personnel Work."

She served the university community as executive secretary of the student forum board, president and rush captain of Sorosis (now Delta Delta Delta) and treasurer of Women's Panhellenic.

Hughes was a member of the YWCA cabinet and varsity committee, Alpha Epsilon, Young Republicans Club, Wheaties and Dean's Honor Roll.

During her adult life, Hughes organized and hosted events including the Sorosis Centennial Reunion in 1997 and the Wichita Art Museum reopening in 2003. In 1994, as part of the WSU Campaign for Students, she graciously donated funds to create the Melba V. Hughes Endowed Scholarship.

Elizabeth King

"Melba was an absolute delight," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "She was most dedicated to her family and loved her alma mater. She was very pleased to make the provisions for this gift."

She married Oliver H. Hughes in 1948; they had three children, Marilyn, Steve and Mindy. In addition to Wichita, the family lived in Emporia, Topeka and Lake Pomona, Kan., returning to Wichita in 1987, where Oliver Hughes died the following year.

Hughes continued to enjoy travel, friends, children and grandchildren. In 2001, she married a college sweetheart also from Wichita, Vincent F. Hiebsch, who died in 2007.

WSU receives additional donation of Boehm sculptures

In 1994, Betty and Oliver Elliott donated part of their Boehm (pronounced "beam") sculpture collection to the Wichita State University Foundation.

This summer, their daughters, Nancy Martin and Carole Lindley, donated the rest. The collection contains nearly 140 pieces, which depict birds, flowers and animals in their natural habitats.

The Elliotts, who helped establish the Elliott School of Communication at WSU, started collecting the pieces in 1977.

"My father always had a love for birds," Lindley said. "My mother was drawn more to the flowers."

Martin said her mother was taken with the sculptures' beauty and took joy in admiring the pieces every day.

"Each new addition to the collection was Mother's favorite," Martin said.

Both daughters remember going for walks with their father to look for birds.

"Every family vacation, regardless of locale, included some time looking for birds that were unique to the area," said Martin.

The sculptures are now on display at WSU's Woodman Alumni Center, Elliott Hall and the president's home.

"They mean so much to the president and me because we knew Betty Elliott so well," said First Lady Shirley Beggs. "We loved and admired her."

The Elliotts also established scholarships, professorships and faculty funds.

"Their gifts continue to grow," said Susan Huxman, director of the Elliott School of Communication. "The Elliotts were very generous people."

Edward Marshall Boehm achieved recognition for his artistic and technical excellence, not only in the United States but widely throughout the world.

His sculptures are on display at the Vatican Museum in Rome, the White House, Buckingham Palace, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Smithsonian Institution. He died of a heart attack in 1969.

WSU dentistry program gets boost from Delta Dental

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry program at Wichita State has received a three-year, $3 million gift, a joint pledge from Delta Dental of Kansas and the Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation. The gift is a major assist toward constructing a building to house the AEGD program.

The program, a one- to two-year residency program for dentists that expands their clinical and practical knowledge, will be the only dental education program in Kansas.

The facility will be located on north Oliver Street, immediately south of the Eugene M. Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

"Delta Dental of Kansas, in partnership with our foundation, has pledged a joint gift of $3 million to be distributed over a three-year period to assist in the construction of a free-standing building to house WSU's AEGD program," said Linda Brantner president and CEO of Delta Dental of Kansas. "At Delta Dental we want to ensure all Kansans have access to quality dental care."

With access to oral health care for many rural and low-income Kansans remaining an unmet need, WSU is working in cooperation with community partners to meet that need.

By offering a broader range of clinical experiences with state-of-the-art technology, more dentists will come to Kansas to expand their education.

With the additional work force, the AEGD program will become a community resource and encourage practicing dentists to stay in Kansas to build long-term careers.

Elizabeth King

"This is another fine example of how Wichita State puts its urban-serving mission into action," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "Delta Dental of Kansas and its foundation continue to step up and partner for the good of the community, and we feel very fortunate to partner with them."

The majority of Kansas counties (86 out of 105), along with the cities of Topeka and Wichita, are designated as "Health Professions Shortage Areas" for dentistry by the federal government's Health Resources and Services Administration.

Kansas has 36.8 dentists per 100,000 residents, 33 percent below national targets.

A resolution in the Kansas Legislature noted that the burden of oral disease restricts activities in school, work and home, and often significantly diminishes the quality of life.

Initially, the program will begin at GraceMed Health Clinic, a community health center that provides medical and dental care on a sliding scale, in fall 2009 and will expand to a two-year program when the new facility is completed.

Services to be available through the facility include primary dental care, pediatric dentistry, implants and full mouth rehabilitation, orthodontics and advanced clinical techniques. In addition to training dentists, dental hygienists and assistants will be able to do their rotations at the facility.

The cost for phase one of the proposed building is $6.4 million, which includes construction and equipment. The WSU Foundation will embark on a campaign to raise the remainder of the funds from private sources.

In 2005, Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation teamed with the WSU College of Health Professions to renovate the existing dental hygiene clinic to a state-of-the-art, 24-operatory clinic.

It funded an endowed dental hygiene scholarship in 2007 — only the second one in the department.

WSU Foundation lands $2M Knight Foundation grant

A $2 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with the help of Wichita State University's College of Engineering, will allow for the expansion of Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a pre-engineering curriculum and teacher training program for middle and high school students. The program currently is in three Wichita high schools.

Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO, announced the approval of the grant on Sept. 15.

Kansas is facing an alarming shortage of engineers and Senate President Stephen Morris issued a challenge to universities to double the number of engineering graduates during the next five years. Wichita aviation companies need about 300 new engineers every year. WSU, with the aid of the Knight Foundation, will help meet that challenge.

"What appeals to the Knight Foundation is that this project will make technology and critical thinking central to more students' lives. Project Lead the Way will equip students with the skills in science, technology, engineering and math needed to work in our leading industries. Preparing the workforce for the 21st century is key to our region's success and is part of our overall grantmaking strategy for Wichita and Sedgwick County," said Anne Corriston, program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Zulma Toro-Ramos

"The Knight Foundation gift will enable the Wichita State University College of Engineering to transform the lives of many youngsters in Sedgwick County, broaden participation in the engineering profession as well as build the 21st century workforce for the aerospace industry and beyond," said Zulma Toro-Ramos, dean of the College of Engineering, "in this way contributing to maintain the standard of living in the city of Wichita and the state of Kansas."

The Knight Foundation grant will help expand Project Lead the Way into 18 middle schools and increase the number of high schools from three to nine. It will provide the money to help the schools buy necessary equipment and computer software.

Middle school students will have opportunities to visit WSU and its College of Engineering, gain exposure to and experience in various teaching labs and meet WSU faculty and students. Some of the courses they will study are design and modeling, magic of electrons and automation and robotics.

At the high school level, opportunities will exist for students to gain college credit through PLTW coursework and take college courses at WSU while still in high school. Those courses include introduction to engineering design, principles of engineering and digital electronics.

In facing such a critical need for engineers, the state's aviation industry looks to the WSU College of Engineering to take a leadership role in growing this pipeline of future engineers.

Quiring Monument owner leaves WSU Foundation $440,000 estate gift

The Wichita State University Foundation has received a gift of $440,000 from the estate of Olive E. Miller, who died on June 21, 2007.

In 1943, when Miller was 17 years old, she walked into Quiring Monument Co. looking for work. Not only did she get the bookkeeping job and lifelong career, she also later married the founder, William Quiring.

Within a year, Miller began running the business after Quiring suffered a heart attack. They were married in 1954. After his death in 1962, she continued to run the company until her retirement in 2002.

In 1969, she married Dr. Clyde Miller, a general practitioner who practiced in Wichita for 39 years. He died in 1983.

Quiring Monument created monuments for such notables as Wichita's first black mayor, A. Price Woodard, and the 21st governor of Kansas, Gov. Henry Allen.

However, Miller said it didn't matter how big or how little the monument was.

"Every one of these is just as important to the people because it's marking the grave of someone who has been important in their life," Miller said. "I think it's a privilege to be able to put up a memorial for someone you love."

Miller attended the University of Wichita in the 1940s. Years later, she paid the tuition of several WSU students who were in financial trouble. Additionally, her company established an endowment for WSU's medical professions programs.

"I remember Mrs. Miller as a woman of strong convictions and a big heart," said James Rhatigan, consultant for the WSU Foundation.

The gift from Miller's estate went to WSU Foundation's unrestricted reserves, which is used to fund around 5 percent of its operating budget. The unrestricted reserves also can be used to provide funding/loans to campus for major projects as requested by WSU President Don Beggs and approved by the Foundation Board of Directors.

New WSU Foundation board officers begin fiscal year

The WSU Foundation board of directors began its fiscal year July 1 with the following officers: John Morse, chair; Craig Barton, treasurer and chair elect; Dan Peare, secretary; and Nancy Martin, immediate past chair.

Morse ('72), of Sanibel, Fla., is general counsel and secretary for LodgeWorks LP headquartered in Wichita. He joined the Foundation's National Advisory Council in 1988 and has served on the board of directors during fiscal years 1991-97, 1999-2004 and 2006-present.

Barton ('83) is managing general partner for Olympia Partners LLC in Wichita, and joined the Foundation's National Advisory Council in 1995. Barton has served on the board of directors during fiscal years 2003-present.

Peare ('82, '85) is an estate planning attorney for Hinkle Elkouri Law Firm LLC in Wichita. He joined the Foundation's National Advisory Council in 2001 and has served on the board of directors during fiscal years 2005-present.

Martin ('69) is the COO for Emergency Services PA in Wichita, and joined the Foundation's National Advisory Council in 1992. She has served on the board of directors during fiscal years 1998-2003 and 2005-present.

The National Advisory Council members are dedicated to promoting the interests of Wichita State University and the WSU Foundation, and encourage others to join them as supporters of the university.

The board of directors is selected from the council and is vested with full control of all of the assets, affairs and business of the corporation.

WSU Foundation announces $8.5 million gift to WSU

At a news conference Monday, May 5, the Wichita State University Foundation announced an $8.5 million gift from the estate of Evelyn D. Cassat.

The majority of the gift will benefit WSU's department of communication sciences and disorders, specifically the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, and the WSU Regional Institute on Aging.

Elizabeth King

"This is the second largest contribution received in the university's history," said Elizabeth King, WSU Foundation president and CEO. "It is dramatic. In addition to what it will do for the faculty and students of WSU, we can only begin to imagine what it will do for aging citizens in terms of research and quality of life."

The gift will go toward renovation and equipment for the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, which will be renamed the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Clinic.

The portion of the gift allocated to the department of communication sciences and disorders will support distinguished, endowed professorships that will further research in audiology and related subjects. The funds also will be used to enhance clinical services and support faculty development.

Peter Cohen

"This is a transformational gift for our college, which has had only one other endowed faculty position prior to this contribution," said Peter Cohen, dean of the College of Health Professions. "This gift will result in a program and facility that are both second to none."

The contribution to the WSU Regional Institute on Aging will support significant expansion of opportunities for WSU faculty to conduct aging research and also will support the Carl and Rozina Cassat Professorship in Aging, named after Paul Cassat's parents.

" 'Invest in our faculty' will be the principle underlying the use of this generous gift," said J. David McDonald, associate provost for research. "Programs will be created to enable faculty to secure large blocks of time for research aimed at improving the health and well being of older Kansans."

James Rhatigan, WSU Foundation consultant, met Evelyn and her husband, Paul Cassat, in 1998 when they called then WSU President Eugene Hughes with a business proposition.

"It was immediately apparent that this couple was highly intelligent and creative," said Rhatigan. "I found them more interesting the longer I knew them — an endless source of stories."

Neither Paul nor Evelyn Cassat made more than $6 an hour during their careers, yet through their financial acumen, they were able to save and invest and, in the end, provide a major gift to the university.

"Evelyn Cassat, in particular, was an expert investor," said Rhatigan. "The wealth she created will continue to be invested through the WSU Foundation, and earnings from those investments will present opportunities for students and faculty alike, far into the future."

Rhatigan developed a warm relationship with them and became a close confidant to Evelyn Cassat after her husband's death Nov. 21, 2002. Evelyn Cassat died Sept. 9, 2007.

Paul and Evelyn Cassat Background

Evelyn Cassat and her husband, Paul, lived in Abilene, Kan., for many years. She graduated from Florence Memorial High School in 1929 and received a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 1933 and a Bachelor of Science in education from the Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia in 1938. She was a high school teacher in Florence, Chapman and Abilene.

A neighbor of Evelyn's parents offered to finance a legal education for Evelyn, given her quick wit and obvious intelligence. Evelyn was interested but said that her parents did not consider the law a good career option for women, so she did not pursue it.

Paul Cassat attended Kansas Wesleyan University, but his educational work was interrupted by his success in working with the United Telephone Company in Abilene. Southwestern Bell took over the company in 1939.

He was a trouble shooter and key man for Southwestern Bell for many years until his retirement in the mid-1970s. He often talked about stringing private lines from General Dwight D. Eisenhower's train to his mother's Abilene home when Eisenhower visited during World War II. Paul Cassat was known as a kind and gentle man.

His father, Carl, was an auto mechanic until his death in 1926, and Paul Cassat demonstrated an avid interest in this emerging industry.

The year his father passed away, Casssat submitted a patent application concerning the functioning of the internal combustion engine and was awarded a patent for his idea in 1929. He was only 20. In 1944, he developed a plan for a fluid clutch in automobiles and regularly talked about improvements in automobiles he envisioned.

The Cassats' quality of life in their later years was severely compromised by hearing loss. Evelyn Cassat also had macular degeneration and glaucoma, impeding her vision, which had a marked affect on her investment work.

These factors led her to a growing interest in aging, and eventually this became the focus of her gift.