A Strong Foundation By Taylor Bird
GIVING
A Generous Tradition The Elmendorfs are proud champions of UTeachSA.
By Taylor Bird
Photo courtesy of AnnDee Ladensohn Steidel
GIVING
Catalyst 2020 | UTSA
Photo courtesy of Dirk and Annie Elmendorf
UTSA | Catalyst 2020
AnnDee, Sydney and David support Alzheimer’s research at UTSA.
“Knowing there is world-class, basic research in Alzheimer’s
In both business and philanthropy, Dirk and Annie
recruitment, preparation and retention program and to grow
Elmendorf believe in starting from the ground up.
the pipeline of highly qualified math and science teachers in
“Backwards, forwards, upside down, inside out, until
San Antonio. Graduates of the program simultaneously earn
As children, AnnDee, Sydney and David Ladensohn saw
with the matching opportunity, we threaded the needle. It was
you’re living and dreaming and breathing it,” says Dirk
their teaching certification and their degree in a STEM field in
the value and joy of philanthropy. The San Antonio natives
a combination made in heaven,” said David Ladensohn.
Elmendorf, one of the three founders of Rackspace
four years.
watched their grandfather and parents give to charitable
Technology, the highly successful cloud computing
It all started at home.
at UTSA, with the development team’s encouragement and
causes throughout the city. Now the siblings are following
The Ladensohns take every opportunity they have to spread
company based in the San Antonio area. The Elmendorfs’
“Math can be the gateway to more science. If you can’t do
that example with the Jean and Kenneth Ladensohn
the good word about UTSA. They enjoy sharing news of the
holistic approach to ensuring educational success starts
the math in science, you don’t get to stay in science,” Dirk
Endowed Research Fund in the College of Sciences,
latest research developments and excellent faculty with
with preparing the next generation of teachers.
Elmendorf says.
established in memory of their parents and in support of
friends and colleagues.
research in Alzheimer’s disease. “I wasn’t encouraged to do more than the bare minimum
The Elmendorfs believe that teachers who are passionate
in math, and I came from a place where [I thought]
enough about math or science to earn their degree in a STEM
this wasn’t going to be applied in real life,” says Annie
discipline are more likely to inspire that interest in their stu-
Elmendorf. “Because of that, I feel very strongly about
dents. They feel strongly that keeping kids engaged in math
instilling in my kids the confidence to not be intimidated
and science, starting as early as possible, helps broaden their
by math, to understand the value of math and science.”
opportunities into adulthood.
Inspired by their own academic experiences, the Elmen-
The Elmendorfs are ensuring the next generation has the best
dorfs believe great teachers play a critical role in building
foundation to solve the problems of tomorrow. Through their
that confidence and appreciation for math and science.
giving, they hope to inspire others to invest in the next genera-
That’s why they established the Elmendorf Family Fund
tion of teachers, too.
for UTeachSA to support the College of Sciences’ teacher
“Our mother had a tender heart, and we grew up with the example of our parents giving to all kinds of causes in San Antonio,” says AnnDee Ladensohn Steidel. “This was their city, and very young we experienced the pleasures of giving to organizations here.”
“UTSA is our university,” said Steidel. “We are thrilled with our gift and are very happy to be able to participate. With an endowment, you can keep giving to it. It is the gift that keeps on giving.” Their parents would be proud.
After their mother developed Alzheimer’s disease and passed away, Steidel and her siblings knew they wanted to support research toward a cure that could help other families. They learned of the world-renowned Alzheimer’s scientists working at UTSA and of a matching opportunity for gifts made to the university from the Texas state legislature.
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