W E DON ’ T JU S T TA L K .
WE DO. FARGO DOCTORS
GIVING IN MEMORY
Unique wedding gift request results in enduring scholarship.
UND alum creates endowment to honor his late mother-in-law, an early education pioneer.
PAY IT FORWARD
When Drs. Christopher Anderson, ’04, ’08, and Allison Clapp, ’08, got married in 2013, they didn’t ask for traditional gifts. Instead, they worked with the UND Alumni Association & Foundation to create the Dr. Christopher Anderson and Dr. Allison Clapp Scholarship Distribution Fund, and asked wedding guests to donate. “It was end-of-year donation time and I think almost everyone opted to give a donation rather than a typical wedding gift,” Allison said. For more than a decade, the couple’s named endowment has provided a scholarship to at least one medical student each year, ideally a graduate from Fargo South High School, which produced both Clapp and Anderson. “The demographics have changed in Fargo since we graduated,” said Chris. “It’s not any longer the most affluent neighborhood in Fargo, and we think it’s important to support students who may not have had the same opportunities that other kids in the more affluent parts of the city have.” Feeling the desire to “pay it forward,” the couple, who both completed a residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., reflected on the assistance they received. “I needed help from scholarships along the way, and I received several, both in undergrad and medical school,” said Chris. “And this was a chance to pay it forward. I feel that if you receive money from a scholarship, your goal should be to at least give that back when you’re able.” Chris and Allison chose to focus on students from Fargo because they are more likely to stay in or return to North Dakota to practice. The state is experiencing a shortage of health providers. The doctors encourage UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences graduates to explore giving options.
OF A LEGEND
If you were enrolled in UND’s nursery school or earned your elementary education degree from 1959 to the 1990s, you might recognize this name: Mae Marie Blackmore, ’47, ’78. Her hugs for children, opportunities she gave college students, and community involvement were “legendary.” Dean Goetz, ’70, ’75, was married to Mae Marie’s daughter, Barbara, who passed away while the couple was living in Colorado. Mae Marie opened her home to Dean when he returned to Grand Forks to pursue a law degree. Mae Marie also lost her spouse as a young wife. She raised four children while directing the University Nursery School (now the University Children’s Learning Center, a dual-licensed childcare facility housed at UND). “She was really good with little children. She knew everybody’s name, and they all knew her. It was a special place, and all the parents loved her. She was legendary.” A pioneer and longtime director of the school, Mae Marie pushed back on assumptions about the speed at which children learn and applied early childhood education practices at her school. As a faculty member in UND’s College of Education & Human Development, she offered practicums for college students. In addition, “she was in every charity in town,” said Dean said, a practicing attorney and entrepreneur in Solana Beach, Calif. She gave to the arts, politics, and to her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. She organized and led the North Dakota chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children and was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Education. Mae Marie remained part of Dean’s life and “adopted” his second wife, Barbara Ihlan, a 1969 CEHD graduate, and their children until her death in 2021. In her honor, Dean and Barbara established the Mae Marie Blackmore Scholarship Endowment. “I think her memory should continue at the University of North Dakota. She was a big part of the College of Education, so we want to help a student in that field pay for their tuition.”
