March 31, 2008

Affinity for helping students basis for estate gift to Wichita State

By Belinda Venters

The Wichita State University Foundation has received a gift of $580,000 from the estate of Audine and Virgil Bargman to establish an endowment for scholarships.

Audine Bargman, raised in Dill City, Okla., was a retired cosmetologist. Virgil Bargman, who grew up in Palmer, Kan., lived in Derby and retired as a machinist from the Boeing Co. He attended Wichita State briefly.

Sharon Miles

Sharon Miles

“They both had an affinity for helping students further their education,” said Sharon G. Miles, WSU Foundation senior development director for the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Michael Lamb, WSU Foundation vice president for planned giving, said the endowment will provide a total of $24,650 in annual scholarship support, beginning with the fall 2009 semester.

Jerry Juhnke, who had been their financial adviser for more than 15 years, said that neither of the Bargmans had much family and so made the joint decision to support Wichita State.

“They dearly loved each other, led simple lives and weren’t concerned about status,” said Juhnke. “When hosted for lunch in 2004 by Miles, Lamb and me to celebrate their estate gift plans, the Bargmans chose their favorite restaurant — Kentucky Fried Chicken. That’s just the type of thing that made them happy.”