Archive for February 2006

02/23/06 — KSU Foundation names Berhow, Koester and Rettele-Thomas to staff

Susan Wolf Berhow, Manhattan, Kan.; Ron Koester, West Fargo, N.D.; and Jennifer Rettele-Thomas, Manhattan, have been appointed to the staff at the Kansas State University Foundation.

Berhow joins the foundation as assistant director of communications. She was previously employed as publications editor and writer with University Publications at K-State. Prior to that, Berhow was the editorial director for University Relations at St. Edward’s University, Austin, Texas.

Berhow earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with honors at Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas, in 1997. She plans to complete a master’s degree in mass communications at K-State in May.

Koester has been named director of accounting services for the foundation. He was previously employed as senior vice president/treasurer/CFO with Nodak Mutual Insurance Company, Fargo, N.D. Prior to that, Koester was assistant general manager/corporate treasurer/CFO for Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, Manhattan.

Koester is a native of Hoisington, Kan. He graduated from K-State in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting. Koester earned designations as Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter in 1990, Associate in Reinsurance in 1993, and Associate in Risk Management in 2002.

Rettele-Thomas has been named associate director of development for the College of Human Ecology. For the past six years she has worked as sales manager for The MASTER Teacher and Professional Mentoring LLC. Rettele-Thomas also worked for the Kansas Department of Education as a staff development specialist and as an assistant to textbook author, Dr. Marian Spears.

Rettele-Thomas earned a dual bachelor’s degree in public health nutrition and gerontology at K-State in 1998.

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/21/06 — Korte family makes $25,000 gift to West Seaton Hall faculty resource center

Greg and Nicole Korte, Las Vegas, and Todd and Julie Korte, Highland, Ill., along with The Korte Company, Highland, have made a commitment of $25,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish The Korte Company Faculty Resource Center in the College of Engineering’s West Seaton Hall.

The new Korte Company Faculty Resource Center is part of the West Seaton Hall Renovation and will provide more room and resources for the Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science. The renovation project provides additional laboratories, classrooms and faculty offices.

Greg Korte is a native of Highland. He is a 1987 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in construction science and the president of the Korte Company’s Las Vegas operations. Todd Korte, Greg’s brother, is a 1989 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in construction science and is the chief executive officer of The Korte Company. The Korte Company is one of the nation’s leaders in providing integrated design-build services, including planning, design and other pre-construction services, as well as construction management and general construction services.

“Our father had always instilled in us the importance of giving back to the communities and institutions that had helped contribute to our success,” said Todd Korte. “The construction science program at Kansas State is recognized as one of the top in the country and has provided both of us with a solid education.”

“This generous gift from the Korte family will have a tremendous impact on the educational experience taking place in our Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science,” said Terry King, dean of the College of Engineering. “The enhancement and addition of facilities will advance recruitment and retention efforts, as well as academic achievement for both students and faculty housed in West Seaton Hall.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. $365 million has been raised as of Jan. 31, 2006. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/21/06 — Salina man honors wife with K-State human ecology scholarship

Harold W. Eagleton, Salina, Kan., has made a gift of $20,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Lois Stuewe Eagleton Memorial Scholarship in Human Ecology.

The purpose of the scholarship is to honor the memory of Lois Eagleton, who devoted her career to teaching young adults in human ecology and parenting skills. The scholarship recipient will be a student properly enrolled in the College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University. Preference will be given to students from Saline, Ellsworth and Wabaunsee counties in Kansas.

Harold Eagleton is a native of Ellsworth, Kan. He is a 1950 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. While in college, he was a member of Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. He is a member of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

Lois Stuewe Eagleton was a native of Alma, Kan. She graduated from K-State in 1951 with a bachelor’s degree in home economics education. Eagleton was a member of Mortar Board in college. She died Feb. 19, 2005.

“Lois would want to give students the opportunity to further their education in human ecology,” said Eagleton. “Education was very important to her.”

“The College of Human Ecology is indebted to Harold Eagleton who established this scholarship in honor of Lois,” said Virginia Moxley, interim dean of the College of Human Ecology. “The Lois Stuewe Eagleton Memorial Scholarship, a continuing legacy to Lois Eagleton’s commitment to mentoring youth, will benefit students in the College of Human Ecology for years to come. Donors such as the Eagletons make it possible for many of our students to attend Kansas State University.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. $365 million has been raised as of Jan. 31, 2006. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/16/06 — Former Clinton appointee memorialized with new K-State scholarship

The employees of Sallie Mae Corp., friends and the family of Peggy Clark, Washington, D.C., have made a combined gift of more than $50,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Peggy Ann Clark Memorial Scholarship. Matching donations were also made through the Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae.

The recipient of this scholarship will be a student enrolled in any curriculum at K-State. Preference will be given to a female student from a rural Kansas community with a minimum 3.0 grade point average and is, or plans to be, involved in at least one club, organization or activity on campus. Additional preference may be given to a member of the Greek community.

Clark was born in Emporia, Kan., and received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Kansas State University in December 1968. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. In 1973, Clark received a master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Her public service included employment by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Small Business Administration and as special assistant to President Clinton in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel from 1993 until 1998. She also owned her own business, Clark Publishing, which published Capital Computer Digest from 1984 to 1993. Most recently, she was employed by Sallie Mae as a director of Government and Industry Relations from 1998 until her death in 2004.

“Peg believed strongly in mentoring and encouraged young women to be independent, work hard and achieve,” said her brother, Tom Clark, Austin, Texas, a 1971 K-State graduate in psychology. “She touched many lives with her generosity and Midwestern friendliness.”

“Peg brought a great passion to her work with the Paying for College program,” said Rose DiNapoli, vice president for government and industry relations at Sallie Mae. “She had a strong belief that education played the critical role in determining the personal and professional success she achieved in her life.”

“We thank everyone who contributed to this scholarship,” said Pat Bosco, associate vice president for institutional advancement and dean of student life. “This is a very unique gift that speaks to our K-State tradition of providing and supporting student leadership in and outside of the classroom.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/16/06 — Florida man remembers father through K-State scholarship pledge

James E. Taylor, Winter Springs, Fla., has made a commitment of $25,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Elmer A. Taylor Memorial Scholarship. This gift will include matching funds from Taylor’s former employer, Hartford Insurance Group Foundation Inc., Hartford, Conn.

The purpose of this scholarship is to honor the memory of Taylor’s father, who was a farmer and stockman in Solomon, Kan. The recipient of this scholarship will be a student enrolled in the College of Engineering at Kansas State University.

James Taylor is a native of Solomon. He is a 1970 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in history. While in college, he was a founding member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Elmer Taylor graduated from K-State in 1933 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering. He died April 14, 2005.

“My father was a proud and loyal wildcat throughout his long life,” Taylor said. “I recall him talking about going out to sit in his car while working as an engineer in Colorado and Wyoming in the 1940s so he could listen to Kansas State basketball games. He never missed a Golden K alumni function and rarely an engineering open house. He used every opportunity to promote Kansas State University during his lifetime and it is my plan to follow his example.”

“We are touched by and grateful for James Taylor’s generous scholarship gift in honor of his father, Elmer,” said Terry King, dean of the College of Engineering. “We take seriously our task of educating the next generation of engineers and will strive to ensure that recipients of the Taylor scholarship, as well as all of our students, receive the best education possible.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/14/06 — Beaches give $1 million to KSU for Beach Museum of Art expansion project

Ross and Marianna Beach, Lawrence, Kan., have made the lead gift of $1 million to the Beyond the Arch Campaign at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the campus of Kansas State University. Ross Beach made the lead gift of $2 million in 1991 as a 50 th wedding anniversary tribute that led to the naming of the museum. In addition, the Beaches have also established a $1 million endowment for exhibitions and programming.

Beyond the Arch is a museum expansion project that will add 17,000 square feet to the museum’s existing 26,000 square feet. Half of the new space will be for public use and the rest will be for collection storage and work space. Construction began Nov. 1 and is expected to be completed for a fall 2007 opening. Beyond the Arch is part of the universitywide Changing Lives Campaign.

Ross Beach is a native of Abilene, Kan. He earned a bachelor’s degree in general science at K-State in 1940 and was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Marianna Kistler Beach is a native of Lincoln, Kan. She graduated with honors from K-State in 1941 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Marianna Beach is a member of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees. The Beaches are honorary chairpersons for the Changing Lives Campaign and members of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

“Ross must have been as delighted as I when he thought of making the lead gift as a 50 th anniversary present to me,” Marianna Beach said. “We’d both been shocked to learn through the inspiring leadership of Ruth Ann Wefald that K-State was the only Big 8 university without an art museum. I kept enlisting his help saying ‘Surely, you know of some foundation that would be glad to help.’ Bless his heart, he came up with an answer.

“Since then we’ve been truly excited with the beautiful building designed by Arthur Andersson, the remarkable staff — its ambience and skill under Lorne Render — with the gifts of art and of money, and the wonderful and amazing support of so many wonderful people. We feel the art museum is truly the center of education and enrichment for all. It's remarkable and exciting to be ready to grow again. We treasure the help of everyone who sees the value.”

“Ross and Marianna Beach are outstanding Kansans who have had an impact on many organizations, and their generosity toward Kansas State University is enormous,” said Lorne Render, director of the museum. “Their support and kindness have allowed the museum to become a cultural center for the university and the community. A museum expansion is necessary to accommodate the tremendous growth in the collection and increased interest in the exhibitions and programs. Having Marianna’s name permanently associated with the museum and K-State is indeed an honor.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/10/06 — KSU Agriculture Experiment Station expands

The Department of Agronomy in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University has announced the expansion of its North Central Kansas Agriculture Experiment Station, through the acquisition of 130 acres of farm land from Harold D. and Betty I. Johnson, Belleville, Kan., for the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign. The acreage is west of Belleville on Highway 36.

“This will enable us to develop seed supplies of new varieties of wheat, grain sorghum and soybeans, a critical component in our production systems,” said Fred Cholick, dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Agriculture Experiment Station. This operation will be in addition to the present experiment station plot two miles west of Belleville.

“Since agriculture is the biggest industry in Republic County ( Kan.), we are pleased to cooperate in this addition to the present experiment field,” Harold Johnson said. “ Republic County is a very good agricultural county; it is hoped that Republic County will be in the forefront in the development and distribution of improved crop varieties.”

Harold Johnson is a 1944 graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics.

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/07/06 — Hobrocks create study abroad fund for KSU librarians

Brice and Shirley Hobrock, Manhattan, Kan., have made a commitment of $134,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Hobrock Study Abroad Fund for Librarians.

The Hobrock fund will be awarded to a KSU librarian for international travel or other activities abroad, including sabbaticals for six months or more, at the librarian’s choice of destination. The fund will also include service projects to help libraries in other countries around the world.

Brice Hobrock is a native of Natoma, Kan. He earned a chemistry master’s degree in 1961 and doctorate in 1964 at K-State. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Emporia ( Kan.) State in 1959 and a master of library science at the University of Denver in 1973. Shirley (Shoemaker) Hobrock is a native of Manhattan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1967 in human ecology and a master’s degree in family and child development in 1974, both at K-State.

The Hobrocks are members of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

“International travel, especially when you spend time working in another country, is life changing,” said Brice Hobrock, who retired in 2004 after 22 years as the dean of Hale Library at K-State. “We’ve made this gift so that our librarians can have an opportunity to engage in international activities.”

“The Hobrocks’ gift provides a unique opportunity for K-State librarians to take advantage of work and study abroad that will benefit them individually as well as advance the mission and goals of the libraries and the university,” said Lori Goetsch, dean of libraries. “We already have some international efforts under way. As K-State reaches out in new partnerships around the globe, this fund will help us support those efforts by providing library services and expertise while also contributing to librarians’ professional development.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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02/01/06 — Topeka couple establishes three funds at Kansas State University Administration

Wayne and Nancy Cottril, Topeka, Kan., have made a gift of $75,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Wayne A. Cottril and Nancy E. Cottril Marching Band Scholarship, Wayne A. Cottril and Nancy E. Cottril Athletic Scholarship and Wayne A. Cottril and Nancy E. Cottril Basic Cancer Research Center Fund.

The recipient of the marching band scholarship will be a student properly enrolled in any curriculum at K-State and participating in the university marching band. The athletic scholarship will be awarded to a student athlete participating in an intercollegiate varsity sport. The cancer fund will be used at the discretion of the director of the Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research.

Wayne Cottril is retired from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Nancy Cottril retired as a registered dental hygienist. She serves on the board of directors as vice president of membership for the Topeka Community Concert Association and has served on the board of directors for the Kansas Advocates for Better Care. The Cottrils are members of the Lawrence Catbackers and Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

“Since visiting K-State on high school field trips, I have continued to love the university and respect the knowledge and leadership that graduates continue to share with our state and nation,” Wayne Cottril said. “Nancy and I take pleasure in helping deserving young people gain an education. We can’t wait for one of them to discover a cure for some form of cancer.”

“The generosity of the Cottril family is appreciated by the entire K-State marching band family,” said Frank Tracz, director of KSU bands. “This scholarship will allow students to participate in the ensemble who otherwise would need to work part time to pay for school and not play in the band. We are extremely grateful for this tremendous gesture, and we thank the Cottril family for their generous support.”

“Building the endowment is vital to the future of K-State Athletics, and we are very grateful to the Cottril family for their contribution to fund a scholarship for our student athletes,” said Tim Weiser, KSU athletic director. “We are pleased to honor Wayne and Nancy for their support by recognizing them as part of the Ernie Barrett Athletic Endowment Society.”

“The cancer center is deeply appreciative of the Cottrils’ generous support over the years,” said Rob Denell, director of the Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research. “They’ve already made many undergraduate cancer research awards possible, and this gift further enables K-State to take a leading role in conquering cancers in our time. The center, and the students and faculty supported by the center, are grateful to the Cottrils for their support of K-State cancer research, education and outreach.”

The KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign for Kansas State University is a comprehensive $500 million campaign that will infuse new funds into virtually every dimension of the university. $365 million has been raised as of Jan. 31, 2006. The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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