Archive for March 2006

03/24/06 — Smith commits funds for KSU Department of Chemical Engineering

Bob Smith, Overland Park, Kan., has made a commitment of $40,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Robert H. Smith Chemical Engineering Excellence Fund.

Smith is a native of Wichita, Kan. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He received a master’s degree in 1964 and a doctorate in 1970, both from the University of Kansas.

Smith spent 38 years working in various aspects of the petroleum and petrochemical industry. He retired in 2000 from Black & Veatch, where he was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the process division. Smith received the College of Engineering Distinguished Service Award from Kansas State University in 1998 and was inducted into the College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2000.

Smith and his wife, Peggy, are members of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

“K-State has given me much more than I can repay,” Smith said. “I hope this fund can help to support future students in chemical engineering and to receive the kind of benefits that I have.”

“The Robert H. Smith Chemical Engineering Excellence Fund will enable the department to support students in a variety of extracurricular activities,” said Mary Rezac, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. “For example, we anticipate using part of the funds to bring world leaders in engineering practice and research to campus to interact with students and faculty, and keep them abreast of trends in our field. We are extremely grateful for this tremendous gesture and we thank the Smith family for their generous support.”

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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03/24/06 — KSU history scholarship established in memory of parents

A $30,000 gift has been made to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Leroy E. and Mary Sullivan Page Fund for Graduate Students in History.

Mary Susan Vaught, Margaret Page Saunders and Rebecca Page have established the fund to honor their parents, Professor Emeritus Leroy E. Page and Mary Sullivan Page. The fund will assist graduate students pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University to be used for travel expenses to research collections outside the state of Kansas.

Leroy Page served as a professor in the Department of History at K-State for 24 years until his retirement. Mary Page died Oct. 30, 2002. Leroy Page died June 15, 2005.

The recipient of the award shall be a Kansas State University graduate history student who has passed the Ph.D. preliminary examinations and must travel to research collections outside the state of Kansas in connection with scholarly research leading to the writing of his or her Ph.D. dissertation.

“Our parents valued education and supported students in their pursuit of knowledge,” said Saunders. “This fund will help others on their path to make new connections, to conduct and share meaningful research, and to achieve their scholarly goals.”

“The Department of History is truly grateful for the establishment of this graduate student fellowship in honor of Roy and Mary Page,” said Sue Zschoche, head of the Department of History. “ Roy was the director of graduate studies in this department for many years and it seems wonderfully appropriate that he be remembered in this way. But far more importantly, Roy and Mary were dear friends to a number of people who are still on the faculty. Indeed, some of us remember watching their daughters grow up and so we are deeply honored that they have chosen this department as a place where the memory of their parents will live on.”

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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03/21/06 — Saracheks establish plant pathology chair at K-State

Alvin and RosaLee Sarachek, Wichita, Kan., have made a commitment of $675,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Alvin and RosaLee Sarachek Chair for Genetic Studies of Fungal Plant Pathogens.

The purpose of the chair is to support a senior faculty member within the Department of Plant Pathology in the College of Agriculture. Candidates must exhibit sustained achievement at the highest level in research and teaching with an emphasis on fungal molecular genetics and the control of plant disease. This chair will be part of the faculty of distinction program established by the Kansas Legislature in 2000 to encourage gifts by private donors to enhance the ability of state educational institutions to attract and retain faculty of distinction. The state acts as a partner, providing supplemental funding to the income earnings of each qualifying gift.

Alvin Sarachek received a doctorate in genetics at Kansas State University in 1957. After postdoctoral study in microbial biochemistry at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers, Piscataway, N.J., he joined K-State professor Val Woodward in founding the Department of Biology at Wichita University (now Wichita State University) in 1958. He served as department chairman for 14 years and retired as a distinguished professor of biological sciences in 1992. Throughout his professional career, Sarachek has served continuously with various private and governmental agencies including the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Energy and National Science Foundation.

RosaLee ( Ireland) Sarachek, a native of Leon, Kan., earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and a bachelor’s degree in medical technology, all from WSU. She was a medical technologist at St. Francis Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Wichita, and served as the first chairperson of the medical technology program in the then newly formed College of Health Related Professions at WSU.

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

“The creation of the chair is an outgrowth of our own background of research into the genetics of disease producing yeasts,” the Saracheks said. “It gives us great personal and professional satisfaction to promote through this endowment both the instructional and research resources for fungal genetics in KSU’s already strong and well reputed Department of Plant Pathology.”

“The Saracheks have been fantastic supporters of the biological sciences at K-State,” interim department Head Scot Hulbert said. “Their previous gift has provided support for the most promising young molecular biologists on the campus. The establishment of the Sarachek Chair for Genetic Studies of Fungal Plant Pathogens will help ensure that K-State attracts and retains the top faculty needed to lead this cutting-edge research and train tomorrow’s top molecular biologists.”

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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03/16/06 — Salina Vortex Corporation donates flour milling equipment to K-State

Salina Vortex Corporation, Salina, Kan., has made an in-kind gift of Vortex valves valued at $85,000 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign for the Hal Ross Flour Mill in K-State’s Grain Science and Industry Complex.

Upon completion this spring, the mill will be a commercial-type, 260-hundredweight-per-day flour mill to serve as a standard mill processing facility, while allowing flow and equipment changes to support research in the milling process. The facility houses a second milling unit for specialty milling of grains such as corn and sorghum.

Salina Vortex Corporation manufactures slide gates, diverter valves, iris and butterfly valves for handling dry bulk material. Vortex valves are used to regulate or divert the flow of dry material in gravity flow or pneumatic conveying systems. Salina Vortex has a reputation for product quality and exceptional customer service. Its valves are standard equipment for systems groups, OEMs and material processors throughout the world. Salina Vortex is a supporter of the KSU School of Milling Program. They make frequent visits to campus with their Mobile Display Unit to better acquaint students with how material handling valves are selected, operate and are maintained in a typical flour milling operation. Salina Vortex is currently building a new facility on a 16-acre campus to meet increasing domestic and export sales.

“Salina Vortex is happy to support the milling program and to be a part of educating future Kansas State millers,” said Lee Young, company president.

“Salina Vortex is a strong supporter of our education program for flour milling students,” said Virgil Smail, head of the grain science and industry department. “Every year they help with lectures and demonstrations for our various mill design courses. Now, with this donation, we will have their state-of-the-art equipment included in the new mill for students to learn on for the next 50 years. We really appreciate their generosity and continued support.”

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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03/07/06 — Jarvis bequeaths $4.3 million to KSU Beach Museum of Art expansion project

The estate of Mary Jarvis, Omaha, Neb., has made a gift of $4,313,401 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign for the Beyond the Arch Campaign for the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University. Jarvis previously established two faculty chairs at K-State: The Jarvis Chair of Landscape Architecture in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, and the Morgan K. “Al” Jarvis Chair in Veterinary Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Jarvis’ cumulative gifts to K-State were more than $6.8 million.

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.

Mary (Kennedy) Jarvis was a native of Lawrence, Kan. A 1942 K-State graduate, she is thought to be the first woman to receive a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the university. While in college she was a member of the horticulture club and Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After graduating, she married Morgan K. “Al” Jarvis, who graduated from the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1940. Dr. Jarvis worked as a general practitioner, an associate professor at Colorado A&M (now Colorado State) and a supervisor of biological production for Eli Lilly and Company in Omaha, Neb. He died April 9, 1972. Mary Jarvis died Jan. 8, 2004.

“Mary Jarvis had a great love for Kansas State University. She appreciated fine art and would be thrilled that her gift is contributing to the expansion of the Beach Museum of Art,” said Ken Kroeker, chairman of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management, and Amy Longo, partner of Ellick, Jones, Buelt, Blazek and Longo, Jarvis’ investment adviser and attorney.

“We are so grateful for the generosity of Mary Jarvis,” said Lorne Render, director of the museum. “Her interest in the future of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art will allow us to expand our exhibition and educational programs and to enrich the lives of the many visitors to the museum. The new wing of the Beach Museum of Art will be called the Mary and Morgan Jarvis Wing in recognition of her great kindness.”

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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03/03/06 — Stephenson and Harris elected chairman and vice chairman of KSU Foundation Executive Committee

Paul D. Stephenson, Wichita, Kan. was recently elected to a two-year term as chairman of the Kansas State University Foundation Executive Committee. The executive committee of the KSU Foundation is the policy-making arm of the KSU Foundation Board of Trustees, the governing body of the foundation. Stephenson is the owner of the PDS Company, in Wichita, a consulting firm that works with several companies, primarily Emprise Bank. He is also part owner of ExecutiveAirshares, a fractional airplane company, principally located in Wichita and Kansas City. Stephenson was named the Alumni Fellow for the College of Business Administration in 1997 and is a current member of the college’s advisory council. Stephenson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from K-State in 1966 and a master’s degree in administration from Wichita State University in 1968.

R. Lee Harris, Leawood, Kan., was elected to the position of vice chairman of the executive committee. He graduated from K-State in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Harris currently serves as president of Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services Inc., a collection of companies involved with apartment and commercial property management, investment, development and construction in 17 states. He is a Certified Property Manager through the Institute of Real Estate Management and a CRE designated by the Counselors of Real Estate. Harris chairs the real estate committee for the KSU Foundation.

Three members retired from the executive committee this year. Lee Borck, Larned, Kan.; Richard Pearson, Leawood, Kan.; and Lyle Pishny, Stilwell, Kan. have served the committee in numerous leadership positions. All three will remain as trustees of the foundation. The outgoing chairman, Lyle Pishny, will serve as an ex officio member of the executive committee for one year.

Two new members were voted to the executive committee this year: Curtis Frasier, Beloit, Kan., and Bill Sanford, Naples, Fla. Frasier is a partner with the law firm of Frasier & Johnson LLC in Beloit. He is a former chairman of the K-State Alumni Association board of directors and was project chairman for the Alumni Center. Frasier graduated from K-State in 1973 with a degree in agriculture. He received a juris doctorate from Washburn University in 1976. Frasier is a trustee of the KSU Foundation, member of the Ahearn Athletic board, chair of the K-State Alumni Association endowment campaign and member of its advisory council. In 2004, he was named the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VI Volunteer of the Year.

Sanford is a 1965 K-State graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. Sanford directs business development, investment and philanthropic activities through Symark LLC, headquartered in Naples. One of Symark’s portfolio investments is NanoScale Materials Inc., Manhattan, which Sanford has served as chairman since 2002. He also established Steris Corporation, which grew in only 10 years from a start-up with five people to a New York Stock Exchange-listed global leader in infection and contamination prevention systems, products, services and technologies with 5,000 employees. He is vice chairman of the recently created Kansas Bioscience Authority.

Other members of the executive committee are Duane Cantrell, Topeka, Kan., treasurer, board of trustees; Tara Cupps, Wichita, Kan., chairman, K-State Alumni Association Board of Directors; Joe Downey, Manhattan, Kan.; Paul Edgerley, Brookline, Mass.; Phil Howe, Manhattan, Kan., secretary, board of trustees; Earl McVicker, Hutchinson, Kan., vice chairman, board of trustees; Eleanor Stolzer, Manhattan, Kan.; Betty Tointon, Greeley, Colo.; Donna Vanier, Brookville, Kan.; and Dennis von Waaden, Austin, Texas, chairman, board of trustees.

Ex officio members of the executive committee are Phil Phar, Council Grove, Kan., president, Livestock and Meat Industry Council; Jon Wefald, president, Kansas State University; Duane Nellis, provost, Kansas State University; and Gary Hellebust, president and CEO, KSU Foundation.

The KSU Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts with alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to secure private support for Kansas State University.

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03/03/06 — Krider bequeaths gift to K-State cancer center

The estate of G. Alden Krider, Manhattan, Kan., has made a gift of $30,500 to the Kansas State University Foundation Changing Lives Campaign to establish the Alden Krider Cancer Research Fund for the Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research in K-State’s College of Arts and Sciences. It will be used to support cancer research, education and outreach activities.

Krider was a native of Newton, Kan. He graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in 1933 and a master’s degree in 1955, both in architecture. Krider joined the architecture faculty at K-State in 1949. He became the director of basic studies when the College of Architecture and Design was formed in 1964. His wife, Peg (Bacon) Krider, also graduated from architecture at K-State in 1932. She was the architecture librarian from 1967 to 1977. She died in 1995. Alden Krider died in 2004. Their children were both K-State graduates. Janet L. (Krider) Duncan, Manhattan, earned a bachelor’s degree in 1962 in physical sciences, a master’s in statistics in 1968 and doctorate in statistics in 1972. John Krider earned a bachelor’s degree in 1967 and master’s degree in 1976, both in journalism and mass communications. He died in 1997.

Janet Duncan is a member of Presidents Club, a KSU Foundation leadership organization for friends and alumni of K-State.

“Teaching was my father’s passion and his joy,” Duncan said. “While his own activities centered on architecture and its allied arts here at Kansas State, he was completely impressed by the commitment and dedication of everyone in KSU’s Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research.”

“The cancer center is grateful for Mr. Krider’s generous gift, as well as his longtime support of the center’s workbook for children, ‘A Day With Dr. Waddle,’” said Rob Denell, director of the Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research. “ We appreciate his commitment to helping K-State take a leading role in conquering cancer in our time.”

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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