charles and joyce DeForest

Changing lives by: maintaining a long tradition of supporting K-State and designating a gift to K-State Libraries through the appreciation of stock.

K-State connection: The DeForests met at K-State when they were students. Charles graduated midsemester in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. Joyce Krehbiel was a cheerleader and a student in elementary education, but she postponed her educational endeavors when she married Charles. She later finished her bachelor’s degree at Wichita State University and earned a master’s degree in library science at Emporia State University while commuting from home.

Why they gave: “As far as the K-State Libraries are concerned, that’s special to me, because it can benefit all the students in all the different disciplines,” Joyce said. She was a librarian and schoolteacher for 24 years in Wichita and Peabody, Kan.

 “I think when you’ve worked hard and had some luck, it’s important to share with other people who haven’t had the experience or luck, whether to universities, art programs, libraries or your church,” Charles said.

How they did it: “We have regularly given money to support the KSU Foundation and Alumni Association,” Charles said. “We felt we would do a little more and realized we had appreciated stock, so we set up an annuity with an income stream and tax benefits. That should be a point for everybody: if you sell stock, you will have big capital gains, but you get tax benefits if you put it in a charitable gift annuity.”

What people are saying: “The K-State Libraries are honored to be the recipient of the DeForests’ generous gift,” Dean Lori Goetsch said. “Donor support helps us go the extra mile for our students and faculty. This gift will augment our library acquisitions funds to purchase materials in cutting-edge areas of research and discovery such as the biosciences.”