the late Elvon and Lydia Skeen

Changing lives by: using a gift of real estate to provide financial support to students in K-State’s College of Education.

K-State connection: Elvon and Lydia Skeen both earned their degrees in education from K-State in 1931. They both also came back to K-State for their master’s degrees. Elvon earned his master’s degree in physical education in 1937, and Lydia received her master’s degree in history in 1938.

The scholarship: The Skeens, both teachers, created the Elvon G. and Lydia E. Skeen Education Fund to help K-State education students. As a result, the late couple has helped hundreds of education majors at K-State.

How they did it: The Skeens made their gift to K-State with real estate situated on the McKenzie River near Eugene, Ore. The land provided a beautiful retirement home for Lydia and Elvon for several years. In 1985, the Skeens created a life estate, which allowed them to contribute their property, take an immediate tax deduction and use the property for the remainder of their lives. After Elvon and Lydia’s death, both in the mid-1990s, funds from the life estate created the scholarship fund, which continues to help K-State education majors.

A recipient’s story: Shelley McIver, a 2004 elementary education graduate, received the Skeens’ scholarship and now makes a difference in the classroom. Shelley believes her academic performance was enhanced because of the Skeens’ scholarship. Shelley now teaches full-day kindergarten at Sunrise Point Elementary School, a new school this year in the Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, Kan.

A love for education: “I decided to become a teacher when I was a swim team coach in high school,” Shelley said. “I loved developing relationships with all the kids and parents. They were so much fun to be around and could always bring a smile to my face.”

What people are saying: “Elvon and Lydia have made me realize that it is my duty to support the educational community in which I live,” Shelley said. “It takes everyone working together to make a successful place for students.”