Summer 2013
BIG PLANS A rebuilt, restored boulevard
KU Giving is published three times a year by KU Endowment, the private fundraising foundation for the University of Kansas. You are receiving this magazine because you support KU.
CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES A. Drue Jennings
PRESIDENT Dale Seuferling
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Rosita Elizalde-McCoy
EDITOR Charles Higginson
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Chad Arganbright Valerie Gieler Rachel Meyers Jessica Sain-Baird Lisa Scheller
ART DIRECTOR Sarah Mosher
We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions. KU Giving magazine P.O. Box 928 Lawrence, KS 66044-0928 785-832-7400 kugiving@kuendowment.org
Postmaster: Send address changes to: KU Endowment P.O. Box 928
STEVE PUPPE
Lawrence KS 66044-0928
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KU GIVING | SUMMER 2013
CONTENTS | SUMMER 2013
FEATURES REBUILDING THE BOULEVARD | 8 Four-year project will bring new pavement, new sidewalks and LOTS of new trees
“YES” TO KU | 6 Campaign draws positive response TO ADVANCE MEDICINE | 14 Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas promotes research and patient care
Plans envision a revitalized boulevard where bicycles, buses and pedestrians coexist with vigorous vegetation. Lisa Schroeder, left, discusses the course of her treatment for cancer with nurse navigator Jennifer Gray.
DEPARTMENTS PRESIDENT’S NOTE | 2 More than a feeling
GREATER KU FUND | 19 Professorship honors Winerock
EVERY GIFT MATTERS | 3 Don Green’s legacy continues
KU VOICES | 20 In over my head
WHY I GIVE | 4
THE FAITHFUL | 21 “CGA” stands for “reliable returns”
ON THE COVER The tree canopy will rise again along Jayhawk Boulevard. HANBURY EVANS WRIGHT VLATTAS, ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS AND JEFFREY L. BRUCE & COMPANY, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS
ACROSS KU | 16 Wounded warrior scholar; help for humanities; run for the Gold LET’S BE SOCIAL
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PRESIDENT’S NOTE
MORE THAN A FEELING The University of Kansas would score off the charts if we could measure these feelings from alumni and friends. In fact, I’m convinced we would make the Final Four every year. It’s no surprise that these feelings translate into donor generosity toward KU. What may be surprising, though, is that the reasons people give to KU are changing. Our donors are as diverse as our society as a whole, and their gifts reflect a wider range of interests and viewpoints than ever before. I’ve been involved in three comprehensive campaigns in the 32 years I’ve been at KU Endowment: Campaign Kansas, KU First and Far Above. Each has been a rallying point in the history of KU. But what I notice more than ever is that today’s donors want to make an investment in something very specific and tangible. They want to be assured that their gifts will bring about transformative change. As you will read in this issue of KU Giving, Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas has exceeded the $854 million mark — a point of pride for all of us who love KU. Behind every gift there is a story, a dream of elevating KU to a higher place and leaving a mark for future generations. Donors clearly find inspiration in our campaign’s major goals: to educate future leaders, advance medicine, accelerate discovery and drive economic growth to seize the opportunities of the future. Our success to date also is due to the vision and leadership of KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little and The University of Kansas Hospital’s CEO, Bob Page. Yes, vision and capacity — the building blocks of transformation — are palpable here. I believe our donors are getting behind this campaign not because of its ambitious $1.2 billion goal. They are giving because they believe the goals of Far Above tie directly to the future and vitality of Kansas and our entire region. And of course, a healthy dose of Jayhawk loyalty, nostalgia and affection never hurt. LOYALTY, NOSTALGIA AND AFFECTION.
KU OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
Dale Seuferling, President
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EVERY GIFT MATTERS
THE LEGACY LIVES ON
COURTESY OF DON GREEN
AFTER NEARLY 50 YEARS IN THE CLASSROOM,
Don Green has officially retired, but his positive influence on students and faculty in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering will continue — the newly established Don Green Faculty Fellowship will see to that. Two of his former students championed the fellowship fund: Jason Canter, B.S. chemical engineering 1998, and Green’s son, Guy, M.S. environmental engineering 1991. Both serve on the department’s advisory board. As far as they’re concerned, Don Green has always been all about the students. “Don Green is the best example of what a teacher should be,” Canter said. “He exemplifies pride and support for KU and his students. This fund promotes what other professors should aspire to be. He’s a staple of the department for good reason.” Guy Green said, “He always took time for his students. He’s very good at explaining complex problems in simple, easily understood terms.” The fellowship will be awarded for the first time in the 2014 academic year to a faculty member in the department, based on dedication to classroom teaching and service to undergraduate or graduate students. Established late last summer, the fellowship fund quickly topped the $100,000 mark to qualify as an endowed fund. To date, 160 donors have contributed. Canter called that further testimony to Don Green’s influence on so many through the years. “I’m excited to see the fund grow so substantially in so little time,” Guy Green said. “This idea looks so obvious in retrospect. He’s admired and respected by faculty and students. So
many people credit him as having an impact on their professional careers.” Don Green joined KU’s faculty in 1964. He served twice as chair of the department, from 1970 to 1974 and from 1996 to 2000. He has won numerous awards for teaching, including the highest teaching recognitions awarded at KU, the Honors for Outstanding Progressive Educator (HOPE) Award and the Chancellors Club Career Teaching Award. He is co-editor of the 6th, 7th and 8th editions of Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, quintessential reading material for chemical and petroleum engineers worldwide. He is currently an emeritus distinguished professor. “He’s told me that if he had to do it all over again, he would choose the same profession and the same university,” Guy Green said. “He loves what he does and has never wavered on that ideal.” — Chad Arganbright
YOU CAN HELP It’s not too late to honor Don Green’s career: visit kuendowment.org/dongreen or contact Susan Reilly, sreilly@kuendowment.org or 785-832-7351.
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WHY I GIVE | SNAPSHOTS
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WHY I GIVE | ESTATE GIFTS
THE LAST FULL MEASURE Many people make their final gifts to KU their most significant, by including KU Endowment in their estate planning.
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Howard Nearing
“I’ve never known much about Josephine T. Berry, but her gift provided me with a $300 scholarship, a pretty good deal when tuition was around $1,000 a year. I’ve noted there have been other recipients of her scholarship through the years, and I think it’s time to pay back.” Larry Tenopir, B.S. language arts 1972, M.S. curriculum and instruction 1978, J.D. 1982, Topeka $1,000 outright — to add to the Josephine T. Berry scholarship fund, a university general scholarship. 1
“We are pleased to commemorate our 50-plus years of success and to honor Howard Nearing with this gift. The income will fund an annual award of excellence for a residential-based design project completed during a fourth-year design studio.” Bill Prelogar Jr., co-president of architecture firm Nearing Staats Prelogar & Jones, Overland Park $100,000 outright — to establish the Howard Nearing Prize in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, honoring both the firm’s founder and the 100th anniversary of the school. 2
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“My late husband, Judge Lawrence G. Crahan, and I both received excellent educations at state universities. Years ago, we started making contributions to our schools, and I’m happily continuing to give back — remembering the help we received from our families and others. I care deeply about the future of the legal profession, and through scholarships and other programs at both schools, I hope students see that giving back is a fundamental part of professionalism.” Linda S. Legg, B.S. education 1972, J.D. 1975, St. Louis $54,000 outright — for the Linda S. Legg KU Law Scholarship, to provide two $9,000 scholarships per year for three years to students pursuing careers in business or corporate law. 3
“My husband and I wanted to do it because we profited so much through music education and would like to see it continue. We wanted to help the university and to help other kids get a music education.” Dorothy Francis, B.A. trumpet 1948 (the first female trumpet major at KU), Marshalltown, Iowa $30,000 outright (added to $30,000 given in 2006) — for the Richard M. and Dorothy Brenner Francis Instrumental Music Scholarship in the School of Music. 4
Muriel C. Braden was born in 1921. Her husband, Robert, was a Summerfield Scholar at KU and earned a bachelor’s degree from the College in 1935. He worked in the Wichita area as an attorney specializing in oil and gas. The Bradens were dedicated supporters of fine arts, music, theater and other causes in Wichita and at KU. Over the years, they made numerous gifts in support of the Summerfield Scholarships. They also supported the Spencer Museum of Art; their $25,000 gift during Campaign Kansas created the museum’s first unrestricted endowed fund, and they donated or co-donated 15 works of art, primarily Japanese prints and painted screens. Robert died in 1990. When Muriel died in 2012, she left a bequest of $886,700 for the Summerfield Scholarship Program. Richard L. Hofmann was born in 1919 in Clay Center, Kan., and graduated from Clay County Community High School. He worked in a Chevrolet garage during the summers while in high school. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1942, serving in Sicily and Italy, and was recalled during the Korean War and stationed in London. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from KU in 1955. He and his wife, Beulah, moved to Lincoln, Neb., where he operated a Midas Muffler shop for 25 years. She died in 2005. Richard gave $25,000 to create a KU scholarship for business students who had graduated from his high school, and later established an annuity to benefit this scholarship. When Richard died in 2012, it yielded about $324,500. Marjorie V. Loyd was born in 1910. Her husband, Herlan, earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 1935 and an M.D. in 1940, both from KU. In 1960, he became the first practicing hematologist in Sacramento, Calif., where the Loyds spent the rest of their lives. In 1996, they gave $45,000 to KU to establish the Robert P. Hudson/Ralph H. Major Professorship in the Department of History and Philosophy of Medicine. Marjorie also held eight charitable remainder trusts for the unrestricted benefit of KU, totaling about $103,400. She once told a KU Endowment representative that she didn’t plan to live to 100, but she did: she died in 2012, two weeks shy of 102.
Estate gifts to benefit KU should be designated for KU Endowment. Please contact Andy Morrison, Director of Gift Planning, 1-800-444-4201, when you set up your estate to make sure your wishes can be fulfilled. If you have included KU Endowment in your estate plans, please let us know so we can recognize you in the Elizabeth Watkins Society. We respect all requests for confidentiality.
WHY I GIVE | FEATURED GIFTS
LIFELONG DEVOTION $10 million estate gift lifts scholarships and libraries
BOTTOM: LISA SCHELLER / TOP: CLENDENING HISTORY OF MEDICINE MUSEUM
FOR MANY YEARS, Stata
Norton Ringle and her husband, David, steadfastly supported KU’s research libraries and the KU Medical Center, where Stata worked. They have now left a $10 million estate gift that continues their generosity. Their gift will be divided equally for three purposes: scholarships for students in the Medical Center’s School of Health Professions; the Clendening History of Medicine Library on the medical center campus; and the Kenneth Spencer Research Library on the Lawrence campus. The gift doubles the amount available for student support in the school, formerly known as the School of Allied Health. The library gifts will be used for acquisition of books and manuscripts and for maintenance of collections of books and manuscripts. Stata Ringle devoted her career to science at the medical center, where she was a professor of pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutics from 1962 until 1990. She served as dean of the School of Allied Health from 1980 to 1984. David Ringle also was a lifelong scientist, working at Midwest Research Institute prior to his retirement. Former residents of Leawood, Kan., the Ringles were married for more than 62 years and died within three months of each other in 2012. Stata was named an honorary alumna of the School of Health Professions in 1998. Since 1985, the school has honored her by presenting the annual Stata Norton Distinguished Teaching Award to deserving professors. Shortly before her death, she had seen the publication
of a book she co-wrote with S.J. Enna, associate dean for research and graduate education in the School of Medicine. Several years ago, Stata learned that the Spencer Library at KU had Stata in her lab, circa 1970. a manuscript called the Jesuatti Book of Remedies, a compilation of 16th-century medical treatments used by the friars of the Order of Saint Jerome in Lucca, Italy. She decided to translate the book, first teaching herself Renaissance Italian, then spending four years translating more than 2,000 entries. She and Enna discussed the project periodically, which led them to collaborate on a book aimed at consumers, Herbal Supplements and the Brain: Understanding Stata Norton Ringle and her husband, David. their Health Benefits and Hazards. “This really epitomizes Stata — she didn’t speak or read WHY THEY GAVE Italian,” Enna said. “But she KU obviously meant a lot to Stata, didn’t let anything like that and if it meant a lot to Stata, it stop her.” meant a lot to David. In addition to their mon — S.J. Enna etary estate gift, the Ringles donated their collection of medical and scientific books to the Clendening Library. Other books, including works of historical and literary interest, went to the Spencer Library. During their lifetimes, the couple gave nearly $250,000 to KU Endowment for KU, with the bulk of their support equally divided among the School of Health Professions and the two libraries. — Lisa Scheller
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“YES” HEN FAR ABOVE: THE CAMPAIGN FOR KANSAS
donors were already saying “yes” — $612 million had been raised. Since then, alumni and friends have said “yes,” loudly, lifting Far Above over the $854 million mark. The comprehensive campaign’s overall goal is $1.2 billion, all to benefit the University of Kansas and The University of Kansas Hospital. Work remains; the campaign is scheduled to conclude in June 2016. Since launch, KU Endowment volunteers have taken the campaign message across the country. At 18 events nationwide, more than 1,000 alumni, friends and supporters have welcomed the good news about the campaign and its importance to KU.
PUBLICLY LAUNCHED IN APRIL 2012,
We’ll launch the faculty, staff and student initiatives of the campaign on Sept. 7. During that day’s football game against South Dakota, students will wear Far Above T-shirts, and we’ll highlight the campaign on the Memorial Stadium scoreboard and throughout the media. As with all gifts to KU Endowment, donors designate how their campaign contributions will be used. To date, donors to the campaign have said “yes” to: • More than 320 new student scholarships, fellowships and awards; • Facilities, including funds for a Lied Center expansion; a planned School of Business building; a student center that will house the Rules of Basket Ball; and an Engineering Research and Development Center;
“ Through the vision set forth by Far Above “YES” TO VISION
and the ongoing generosity of our donors, this campaign is creating positive transformations that will elevate the university and hospital to new heights.”
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— CAMPAIGN CHAIR KURT WATSON, ANDOVER, KAN.
“YES” TO HARD WORK
“ The excitement for this campaign is palpable in all our events and interactions with donors. This is in large part thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, and to the leaders at the University of Kansas and The University of Kansas Hospital.”
— KU ENDOWMENT PRESIDENT DALE SEUFERLING
• Patient care, the nurse navigation program, advanced heart care, and pavilions for cancer care and radiation oncology at The University of Kansas Hospital; • Funding to strengthen research and academic programs in disciplines across the university and the medical center; • Twenty-seven professorships and directorships in a wide range of disciplines; • Successful efforts to achieve designation of The University of Kansas Cancer Center as a National Cancer Institute cancer center; • Expansion of the School of MedicineWichita to a four-year program, and creation of a new four-year School of Medicine site in Salina.
“YES” TO LOYALTY
“ There is tremendous loyalty to KU among our alumni and friends, and a deep sense of pride that shows in their generosity to Far Above.”
— CAMPAIGN CHAIR SUE WATSON, ANDOVER, KAN.
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To bring back the
glory
PUT DOWN ROOTS State funding will not cover renewed landscaping of Jayhawk Boulevard. Re-establishing the trees and lowerlevel plantings is the first priority of KU Endowment’s fundraising effort. NEW TREES: 200 ADDITIONAL PLANTINGS: 80,000 square feet ESTIMATED COST: $1 million
To put down your roots, please visit kuendowment.org/jayhawkblvd, or contact Dale Slusser, 785-832-7458 or dslusser@kuendowment.org.
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of the Boulevard BY VALERIE GIELER
SKING A KU ALUMNUS TO DESCRIBE
is like asking a parent the meaning of love — the answer is complicated. History. Fountain. Pride. Students. Character. Steam whistle. Friends. Spirit. Parades. Walks to class. Wescoe Beach. Studying. Tulips. Sidewalk chalk. Buses. Distant views. Reading the UDK. Bicycles. Music. Lawns. Shade trees. Yes, shade trees. In the middle of the 20th century, elm trees arched over the Boulevard in a continuous canopy of shade. Larry Hoyle first came to campus in the mid-1960s for a science camp. Before heading to the dorm, his parents wanted to see Mount Oread. “It was a pretty warm day in June, and I remember driving along Jayhawk Boulevard,” Hoyle said. “There was this tunnel of trees. It was shady all the way from the Chi Omega fountain to Fraser Hall. I was impressed by that.” Hoyle earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at KU and now is a senior scientist with KU’s Institute for Policy and Social Research.
JAYHAWK BOULEVARD
ALL RENDERINGS COURTESY OF THE OFFICES OF HANBURY EVANS WRIGHT VLATTAS, ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS AND JEFFREY L. BRUCE & COMPANY, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS
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CONSTRUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN GOODMAN
Construction began the day after Commencement on the stretch of Jayhawk Boulevard from the Chi Omega fountain to Poplar Lane, east of Snow Hall.
SEND US YOUR PHOTOS The university’s archives contain very few pictures that show the original tree canopy over Jayhawk Boulevard, odd as that may seem. If you’ve got a picture you’d be willing to share, please contact Charles Higginson at 785-832-7363 or chigginson@kuendowment.org.
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Jayhawk Boulevard has changed since then. Dutch elm disease wiped out most of the street trees by the early 1970s, erasing the structured landscape vision developed early in the century. Today, the street, sidewalks and utilities are deteriorating from years of use, and many of the lower-level plantings also have been lost. All that is about to change again — the Boulevard is getting a makeover. During the first comprehensive update of the beloved thoroughfare at the heart of KU’s campus, workers will replace the street pavement, sidewalks and lighting, and will repair utility lines, the storm water system and underground tunnels. The traffic circle at the Chi Omega fountain will be rebuilt for better traffic flow, and marked crosswalks will increase safety along the entire corridor. The project started this May at the western entrance to the central campus. Construction will take place in phases over the next four summers, to be completed in 2016. Phase one reaches from the Chi Omega fountain east to Poplar Lane. Funding will draw upon several sources. The university is partnering with KU Endowment to raise funds for the landscaping, which is estimated to cost $1 million. The rehabilitation of the infrastructure will be funded with
“ In the late 1950s, the tree-lined Boulevard provided my classmates and me with a canopy of calm over the anxieties of the beginnings of our university careers. The trees kept us in touch with the shade of Mother Nature against the heat of summer, and provided brilliant colors in the fall and incredible designs against the winter skies. I rejoice that the full ranks of trees may again take their place along Jayhawk Boulevard. ”
— PHIL FRIEDEMAN, HISTORY 1959
about $11 million in state monies allocated for repairs, said Jim Modig, KU’s director of design and construction management. Funding from KU’s parking and transit office will pay for a new gatehouse. GLORIOUS TREES
“Many alumni have fond memories of Jayhawk Boulevard with a beautiful tree canopy and plantings,” said Dale Slusser, assistant vice president for KU Endowment. “This project is the opportunity to bring back the glory of the Boulevard to what it was at its height.” Reed Dillon, a College 1979 alumnus and landscape design professional, became involved as a volunteer on the project advisory board and fundraising committee because he has always wanted to see the trees restored. “We have such a wonderful ambiance on campus, but we do live in Kansas,” Dillon said. “This is a tough climate to be outside without the benefit of shade. The trees also give a feeling of permanence and elegance that a university like KU needs to have.” Dillon and his wife, Stacey, have pledged a gift to support the tree replanting and are working with KU alumni relatives to establish a family gift. “Most of the trees were gone by the time I was on campus in the mid 1970s, but my parents remember them,” Dillon said. “Hopefully, in my lifetime, I will be able to see what Jayhawk Boulevard looked like when my parents were there.”
The once and future canopy: top, as it appeared in the late 1950s; bottom, as imagined in perhaps 2023.
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Landscape plans for the Chi Omega fountain area. The original elm trees had met above the Boulevard by 1955, the year the Chi Omega fountain was dedicated.
“As students, I don’t think we gave the trees a lot of thought, but we did enjoy walking down Jayhawk Boulevard in the shade on our way to class. I do remember the gorgeous colored leaves in the fall and the beautiful, fragrant blossoms of the flowering trees in the spring. After we were married and my husband was in law school, we made a point to drive through the campus to enjoy the colors and foliage — and we didn’t have to spend any money. ”
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— JUDY STANTON, ARCHITECTURE 1961
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OLD LOOK, NEW APPROACH
The project honors the Boulevard’s significant historic context. It runs from end to end of the KU Historic District, listed in April in the National Register of Historic Places. The university also consulted master plans, including detailed landscaping schemes, going back to 1904. “With our Campus Heritage Plan completed in 2009, we looked at the university’s historic plant palettes and designs,” said Peg Livingood, project manager. “We worked with our campus horticulturist to identify which of those plantings would be appropriate today and which ones have better varieties available but are still compatible with the original design intent.” Before the trees are planted, engineered soil will replace the dirt in the landscaped areas to provide a consistent growing medium, create healthier roots and direct root paths away from paved surfaces. This will help the trees grow uniformly and prevent roots from causing sidewalks to shift and crack. “We are learning from the past and incorporating new technologies,” Modig said. A mixture of disease-resistant tree varieties will be planted to prevent a disease or blight
“ I remember a lot more trees along Jayhawk Boulevard that reached out over part of the street. We lost all those trees, and it was sad when they had to come down. I think it’s extremely important to keep our campus beautiful. If we don’t preserve our heritage, we won’t have any foundation to build upon. ”
from wiping out the entire canopy again. The trees include selections of elm, oak, coffee tree, linden, zelkova and fruitless osage-orange. The species won’t be intermingled; they will be planted in runs, starting with a run of historic elm at the Chi Omega campus gateway. FUTURE VISION
If you visit Jayhawk Boulevard soon, you’ll see design changes as well as fresh pavement, new pedestrian crossings and new trees. The master plan includes big ideas, and some remain unconfirmed. One is a designated bike lane running down the middle of the street, an idea proposed by KU’s campus-wide master planning consultant, Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas. KEEPING IT GREEN The trees and plants aren’t the only green features of the Boulevard restoration. New lighting fixtures will use low-energy LED lights and stand about 10 feet shorter than the current lights to prevent any conflicts with mature trees. Current plans propose planting areas designed as environmental swales, in which stormwater soaks down through the soil into a collection area below the trees. This will filter contaminants and provide a water source for the trees and plants. These improvements will be included beginning in the second construction phase; an underground utility tunnel prevented their use in phase one.
— BETTY ALDERSON, PHARMACY 1946 AND RETIRED WATKINS HEALTH CENTER PHARMACIST
This idea is still under consideration, Modig said, because project designers are taking a hard look at safety before making a final recommendation. A central bike lane has been installed in several urban locations; it keeps cyclists more visible to motorists, and it would avoid conflicts with KU’s constantly stopping buses. Wherever the bike lane ends up, it will probably open in 2014 with the second phase of construction. Future enhancements in the long-term plans include stone gateways at the Chi Omega fountain entrance to campus and transit gardens along the Boulevard. The transit gardens, like small parks, would surround bus stops with lawns, low seating areas and plantings — places students would want to gather even when they weren’t waiting to catch a ride. Even with all the proposed changes, the university will make sure Jayhawk Boulevard retains the character and spirit that makes it uniquely Rock Chalk. “Jayhawk Boulevard is where people head when they bring their kids back to visit campus,” Livingood said. “It is iconic to our campus and part of the classic KU experience. Most alumni have a strong connection to the Boulevard, and we are going to preserve that.” KUENDOWMENT.ORG
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to advance medicine and to translate them into treatments …
TO MAKE BASIC DISCOVERIES,
alleviating statewide shortages of physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health professionals …
TO HARNESS THE POWER OF ACADEMIC MEDICINE
TO COMBINE ADVANCED RESEARCH AND COMPASSIONATE CARE
TO INCREASE STUDENT ACCESS,
for the most critically ill patients by investing in the latest technologies and providing the best caregivers … in addressing the most devastating chronic illnesses: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders … and to put them into clinical trials …
TO FORMULATE NEW DRUGS,
training medical, nursing and pharmacy students side by side in teams …
TO ADVANCE MEDICINE, one of the four main goals of Far Above: The Campaign for Kansas, means all this and much more.
TO EDUCATE TOMORROW’S PRACTITIONERS,
Cancer patient Lisa Schroeder, of Overland Park, talks with her nurse navigator, Jennifer Gray, R.N., at The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion. Gifts to Far Above recently expanded the hospital’s nurse navigation program.
Near right: Physical therapist William Hendry works with John Shelton in a clinical trial exploring the role of exercise in prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Far right: Jeff Burns, M.D., talks with Elbert Harris and his wife, Doris. Elbert Harris is taking part in a clinical trial organized by Burns investigating the effects of diet on brain health.
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MARK MCDONALD
Center right: Pat Hubbell, KU pharmacy alumnus and co-owner of Sigler Pharmacy in Lawrence, mentored student Parker Corrin, who earned a doctorate in 2012 and is now a pharmacist in Pittsburg, Kan.
“ It was comforting to know that Jennifer was there as our navigator. She quickly taught us there was no such thing as a dumb question. If we needed to know anything, she would find an answer. ” MARK MCDONALD
— LISA SCHROEDER, ONE OF AN ESTIMATED 30,000 PATIENTS WHO WILL RECEIVE CLINICAL CARE THIS YEAR FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITAL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CANCER CENTER
MARK MCDONALD
DAVID MCKINNEY/KU OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
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ACROSS KU
BOATROCKER WHEN SERGEANT JASON THORNTON CAME HOME
MORE See video of Jennifer Thornton at kugiving.org
from his first tour in Iraq in 2004, he was OK. A little odd, maybe; sometimes he would drive on the wrong side of the road. When he came home from his second tour in 2007, he was not OK. Not even close. “He has severe PTSD and a mild traumatic brain injury,” his wife, Jennifer, said. “When people ask me how he’s doing, I never know what to say. It’s almost an hour-by-hour situation. If I leave the house to run a few errands, he’s so volatile, I never know what I’m coming home to. “I hate that term ‘the new normal,’ because there’s nothing normal about it. And I don’t want my little boy to grow up thinking it’s normal. I hate that he has to experience it.” Jennifer started trying to balance her job as a 7th-grade English teacher with providing the support her husband needed to meet the requirements of the Army’s medical evaluation boards to establish his disability. “For somebody in his situation, the statements he was expected to provide were
absolutely impossible,” Jennifer said. “I realized that, had he had to go it alone, there’s no way he would have his current benefits. And I realized that a lot of soldiers in his situation unfortunately don’t have that support.” Jason was eventually medically retired and has a 90 percent disability rating from the Veterans Administration. Since retirement, he’s spent time in five different inpatient settings. Even now, living in Leavenworth, he has two therapy appointments almost every day. “I’m sure he gets more services than most veterans, and it’s not because these services were offered to us on a platter,” Jennifer said. “It’s because I’ve taken a lot of time off work and done a lot of investigating. I’m just not OK with settling. I’ve always been a boatrocker, and when the boat needs to be rocked, I’m gonna rock it.” She had become such an effective advocate for her husband, others suggested she should take on that role for other wounded warriors. While visiting her husband at a treatment center in New York, she met a social worker, and
HELPING HAND FOR HUMANITIES Hall Center for the Humanities. Its building incorporates the limestone arches and walls of KU’s oldest surviving structure, the 1887 Powerhouse designed by John G. Haskell. But the center’s programming embraces the present, and a recent gift has brightened its future. The Hall Center stimulates and supports collaborative research at KU in the humanities, arts and social sciences. Faculty and graduate students from various disciplines come to the center to find common interests, build on each other’s ideas and share knowledge within the university and with the wider community. In April, the Hall Family Foundation, of Kansas City, Mo., gave $2.7 million in lasting support for the center. The gift provides $1 million to create a postdoctoral fellowship in the digital humanities, $1 million to establish a
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EARL RICHARDSON
HISTORY LITERALLY SURROUNDS KU’s
Jason and Jennifer Thornton on June 25, 2006 — the day of his second deployment to Iraq.
THE GOODWILL OF KU
COURTESY OF THE THORNTONS
MIKE DENNING OVERSAW the selection of KU’s first Wounded
that idea began to make sense. She started researching places to study social work and decided to apply to the master’s of social work program at KU. She got in, and she got financial help. As one of the two first recipients of the new Wounded Warrior Scholarship, she’ll enroll in the program next fall. “Once I get the MSW, I want to work with wounded warriors and their YOU CAN HELP To honor and support wounded warriors at KU, contact Jerome Davies, 785-832-7460 or jdavies@kuendowment.org.
families,” she said. “You really can’t understand their situation unless you have been in the trenches. People say, ‘It’ll get better,’ or ‘I know what you mean,’ but in reality they have no idea.” Jennifer said she was honored and humbled to get the scholarship. “Having gone to graduate school already, I have student loans,” she said. “This scholarship will allow me to change my career without going into greater debt. It’s allowing me to further my education and to give back to the wounded warrior community.”
mid-career fellowship in the humanities and $500,000 to establish a distinguished professorship in the collaborative humanities. It also includes $210,000 to support Hall Center initiatives during the next three years. “The Hall Family Foundation is pleased to provide this support to the Hall Center, a center of excellence at KU that we are all proud of,” said Angela Andresen McClelland, vice president of the Hall Family Foundation and a member of the Hall Center’s advisory board. Through the years, the foundation has provided almost 30 gifts for the Hall Center. In 2011, the center received a $425,000 National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant to develop programs advancing interdisciplinary humanities research. The Hall Family Foundation gift will buttress programs made possible by the challenge grant, and will YOU CAN HELP The center must meet the NEH Challenge strengthen the center’s community of Grant by July 31, 2015. To help, contact resident scholars. Lindsay Hummer at 785-832-7428 or lhummer@kuendowment.org. — Charles Higginson
Warrior Scholarships. He directs KU’s Office of Graduate Military Programs, having retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel after serving 27 years. “Mental wounds are every bit as debilitating as physical wounds,” he said. “We recognize that some service members may not be able to go back to school themselves, and in those cases spouses or caregivers may have to change their educational status.” The scholarships, available for graduate and undergraduate study, are open to veterans with a VA disability rating, or to the spouse, primary caregiver, or child of a disabled veteran. The scholarship provides up to $10,000 per year, renewable for four years. Funding comes entirely from private support. “This was developed by the goodwill of KU and KU people,” Denning said. “Starting with the Hartley Family Foundation and Tom and Jennifer Laming, we received, completely unsolicited, an outpouring of support from individuals who wanted to help this effort.” Denning said Jennifer Thornton was the only spouse among the applicants for the scholarship. “We could not be any happier than to award this scholarship to Jennifer,” he said. “She’s going to go forward and become an advocate for wounded warriors. She’s richly deserving, for everything she has done and everything she’s going to do.” The scholarship also went this year to Anthony Schmiedeler, who was deployed twice to Iraq as a Marine Corps sergeant. He’s now a KU junior studying graphic design.
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ACROSS KU
as hundreds of tenacious, beet-faced racers make one last push down 119th Street in Overland Park. Since 2002, this has been the scene near the finish line at the Helen Gold 5K & 10K Run/Walk for Parkinson’s Disease Research. This year’s race will take place Sept. 14 at the Fountains Shopping Center. A new addition will be the inaugural Robert Hemenway 5K Walk, named in honor of the former KU Chancellor. Since stepping down in 2009, Hemenway has revealed his diagnosis with Parkinson’s. “The Helen Gold Run gets larger over the years, and I watch as it celebrates and embraces families who have been touched by Parkinson’s,” said Susan Rahman, who volunLACE ’EM UP To sign up or learn more about teers in memory of her grandthe Helen Gold Run/Walk, visit father, Jan. The event has raised helengold5k.com or contact Dee RUNNING SHOES POUND THE CONCRETE
Sand at 913-677-1700.
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more than $450,000 since its inception, with 100 percent of proceeds given through KU Endowment to the Parkinson’s Disease Research Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Many of the participants attend the run for more than a workout; it’s an opportunity to unite for a cause. Erin Sieck was 18 when her mother, Debbie, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Now a medical student, Sieck runs the 5K as a member of Debbie’s Angels, a team created by her aunt, Linda Petty, in her mother’s honor. Composed of family and friends, the team has finished two races. “When my aunt asked me to join, there was no decision to be made,” Sieck said. “The question was, how many people can we get to participate? This race is hope for my mother’s future.” — Rachel Meyers
THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHIC ENTERPRISES
GO FOR THE GOLD
GREATER KU FUND
Jack Winerock, Chancellors Club Teaching Professor
TAKE IT FROM THE TOP his piano teacher encouraged him to teach younger students for 10 minutes each. He loved the teaching, and after 40 years on KU’s music faculty, he can’t imagine any other life. “The students are wonderful,” he said. “They are very responsive and eager to learn.” An accomplished performance pianist, professor and lecturer worldwide, Winerock was recently named a Chancellors Club Teaching Professor. The honor is based on outstanding teaching performance as acknowledged by students and colleagues. The Chancellors Club, KU Endowment’s major-donor organization, established the professorships in 1981. “I am thrilled to receive this unique award,” Winerock said. “Nothing gives a person greater feedback than being recognized by your workplace, colleagues and students. This inspires me to continue seeking even more effective teaching strategies.” In March, doctoral piano student Congcong Chai won the 2013 Dallas Chamber Symphony International Piano Competition. He said he decided to attend KU precisely because of the exceptional teachers. “The piano teacher is extremely important for a piano performance student,” he said. “After studying piano in China and Hong Kong, I had lessons with several U.S. teachers, and I think Dr. Winerock is the most suitable teacher for me.” Originally from New York City, Winerock received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School of Music and a doctorate from Congcong Chai, the University of Michigan. Music has taken him to Europe, Asia, South America, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and China, but he is always happy to return to KU’s sup- doctoral piano student portive environment. “We treat students as family here, and we all live in Murphy Hall together,” Winerock said. “The donors who support the program also take a great interest in our students.” — Valerie Gieler
STEVE PUPPE
WHEN JACK WINEROCK WAS 10,
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KU VOICES
IN OVER MY HEAD Michael Garrett is a Lenexa sophomore, double-majoring in journalism and Spanish. Last March, he took part in a scientific expedition to Costa Rica, with support from the Rudkin Undergraduate Scholarship for International Interdisciplinary Research Experiences. What brought you to KU?
Where did you go?
Family. I’m an I-don’t-know-how-manygenerations Jayhawk. My mother’s family has all gone to KU. I have aunts and uncles and cousins in Lawrence, and it just seemed like the right fit. I’m in Spanish because I like studying language and culture, and I got interested in video in high school, so I wanted to continue my video studies in the J-School.
We stayed a couple of days in a nature reserve near San José. Then we took a bus to Tapantí National Park. We were in a cloud forest — a lot of rain, a lot of humidity, way up in the jungle. We did most of the collecting there. How did you collect insects?
We set up different kinds of traps. One was a flight intercept trap, which is just a screen in the middle of the forest. Insects would fly into it and fall into pans full of a mix of water and antifreeze. We got tons of all kinds of flying insects — beetles, mayflies, moths, flies. What was it like?
“ We did Surber sampling, which is a quantitative method of collecting water insects. You put a wire frame box with a net bag attached to it in the river. You stir up the riverbed inside the box, and whatever you stir up washes into the bag. We found a lot of mayfly larvae, which grow in the water.” — Michael Garrett, shown below with a beetle he collected in Costa Rica.
It was a National Geographic type of experience. I got a hands-on, direct experience in scientific research. Having not taken a science class since senior year of high school, I was in way over my head. It was like they were talking another language. The most interesting thing was seeing the scientific process play out. From my perspective, that’s where the interdisciplinary angle came in.
this research expedition?
MORE See video of Michael Garrett’s trip at kugiving.org
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One of my journalism professors, Doug Ward, got an email from the Honors Program, looking for students interested in interdisciplinary study on a research expedition with Prof. Andrew Short in Costa Rica. He’s an entomologist; he studies aquatic beetles. I thought it would be a good way to practice my language, and as a journalist to follow the scientists and document what they were doing.
KU GIVING | SUMMER 2013
The scholarship paid for everything — flight, lodging, food. The other student who went with me is an English major. We went out to dinner with Tom and Jann Rudkin a while ago and talked to them about our experiences. It was really nice that they were so invested in our learning. It’s cool to step outside your box and learn something new, and the Rudkins allowed us to do that. It was truly an incredible experience, one I’m going to remember the rest of my life. — Charles Higginson
COURTESY MICHAEL GARRETT
How did the Rudkins’ support help? How did you get involved in
THE FAITHFUL
RELIABLE RETURNS SEVERAL YEARS AGO, Richard
Paegelow, Glendale, Calif., was helping his mother, Vivian, with her finances, seeking stable income to meet her needs. A magazine advertisement describing charitable gift annuities caught his eye. “One of the fears of seniors is outliving their income,” he said. “This looked like a good investment.” Unfamiliar with gift annuities, she hesitated, so he offered to add $5,000 if she put in $10,000. Ultimately, Vivian Paegelow established gift annuities with three charities, including KU Endowment, and they began paying her back immediately. Upon her death in 2012, her annuities at KU supported the Charles Stansifer Fund, in the Center of Latin American Studies. Richard thought the investments paid off. “They maintained her income for several years when interest rates dropped,” he said. In the process, he became interested in gift annuities for himself, with deferred income, and now has established eight annuities with KU Endowment. They ultimately will support KU’s study abroad programs.
Richard received a B.A. from KU in 1969 in Spanish and Latin American Area Studies. A Fulbright Scholarship supported his graduate studies in Quito, Ecuador, and he earned an M.A. in political science from KU in 1972. After earning an MBA from Columbia University, he worked in banking and management consulting. Since 1991, he has owned and managed Inline Translation Services Inc., in Glendale. The company specializes in translation of written material from English to other languages and serves private, public and nonprofit clients operating worldwide. English-to-Spanish translations account for half its volume. “In 1967, during my junior year, I studied in Costa Rica,” he said. “I had two full semesters with a host family, really learning the language and culture. It was truly life-changing. None of this would have been possible without that study abroad and language immersion experience.” — Charles Higginson
LISA SCHELLER
ANNUITIES 101 Charitable gift annuities are essentially contracts between a donor and a charity like KU Endowment, which accepts the donor’s gift and, in return, pays a fixed income for life to the donor and/or another beneficiary. The income may be partially tax-free. After the death of the last beneficiary, KU Endowment uses the remaining principal as the donor directed. This option is best for older donors seeking increased income. At KU Endowment, beneficiaries must be at least 65 years old, and donors must make a minimum gift of $10,000. For more information, visit kuendowment.org/ giftplanning or contact our office of gift planning at 785-832-7327; you’ll also want the advice of your legal and tax advisers.
Richard Paegelow
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