June 26, 1998
KALAMAZOO -- More than $1,359,000 in cash and non-cash gifts was received by the Western Michigan University Foundation in March, April and May, according to a report presented to the WMU Board of Trustees at its June 26 meeting.
The amount includes $1,281,469 in current and deferred cash gifts and $77,560 in non-cash gifts. This puts the total of current and deferred cash gifts to the WMU Foundation at $6,406,520 since the
1997-98 fiscal year began July 1. When non-cash gifts are figured in, the year-to-date total is $7,010,586.
The Paper Technology Foundation at WMU also reported gifts received during March, April and May. It recorded $132,638 in cash gifts and $550,000 in non-cash gifts for a combined total of $682,638 in these two giving categories, bringing the year-to-date total to $883,248. The overall total of gifts reported to the Board of Trustees thus far in the fiscal year is $7,893,834.
Among the major donations to the WMU Foundation during the three-month period were two $100,000 gifts.
The Kalleward-Bergerson Charitable Foundation donated $100,000 to the Bill Brown Alumni Football Center on behalf of James Kalleward of Portage, Mich. Kalleward, a WMU Foundation member and Gary Fund volunteer, is president and owner of Kalleward-Bergerson Inc. in Kalamazoo, Mich., a nonresidential construction company.
The alumni football center is being named for Willard A. (Bill) Brown of Chicago, a 1953 WMU graduate who headed up fund raising for the project. To be dedicated July 10, the 55,000-square-foot addition to Waldo Stadium is expected to be finished in time for the start of the 1998 football season.
This multi-story addition will include new locker rooms; facilities for training, strength and conditioning; an auditorium for meetings; and coaches' offices, which also will be used for instruction and suites on game days. To date, more than 98 percent of the $8.2 million sought for the project has been received or pledged.
Also donating $100,000 was the Lewis and Elizabeth Macomber Family Trust. The gift established the Lewis and Elizabeth Macomber Endowment, which will become part of WMU's general unrestricted
endowment fund. Proceeds from the Macomber Endowment will be used for educational activities that are not related to building projects.
The Macombers, both deceased, were longtime Kalamazoo residents. Elizabeth, who had worked in Grand Rapids as a librarian, died in 1997. Lewis had worked for the Kalamazoo Paraffin Co., which was founded by his father, and died in 1991. He served as the company's president until it was sold in 1979. During World War II, he took flying courses at WMU.
In addition, the WMU Foundation received $32,000 from an anonymous donor to establish an endowed Medallion Scholarship. WMU's prestigious Medallion Scholarship program represents some of the largest merit scholarships in American public higher education. Available to undergraduate students, each four-year Medallion award totals $32,000.
Also, the estate of Aura Stevenson donated $33,053 to the President's General Endowment. Stevenson, who died in 1996, lived in East Jordan, Mich., and had taught in Muskegon, Mich. She received a teaching certificate from WMU in 1926 and a bachelor of arts degree in 1931.
Other significant gifts reported by the WMU Foundation included $15,000 to the Mike Gary Athletic Fund from George F. Ball of Newport Beach, Calif., to support the hockey program by funding the hockey pep band. Ball, who played on the Bronco hockey team, received a bachelor of science degree from WMU in 1966. He is general counsel for American Suzuki Motor Corp. in Brea, Calif.
Two additional gifts will benefit WMU's nationally recognized Food Marketing Program. The Chicago Food Brokers Association donated $12,000 to the program while the Georgia-Pacific Foundation of Atlanta donated $10,000.
Three other $10,000 gifts were received. St. Margaret's Junior College in Tokyo, Japan, donated $10,000 to the Masami Otsuka Memorial Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship provides aid to students transferring from St. Margaret's to WMU. It was established in 1992 by Sadao Otsuka of Tokyo in memory of his daughter, who was attending WMU when she was killed in a car accident in 1992.
A similar gift also was received from George Junkin of Arlington, Va., who donated $10,000 to the Jennifer C. Wenger Memorial Study/Work Abroad Fund. A permanent endowment fund, it supports student international study and travel. It was established in 1995 by H. David and Barbara Junkin Wenger in memory of their daughter. Jennifer received a bachelor of science degree from WMU in 1992 and died in a car accident the same year.
Lastly, the Charitable Gift Fund of Boston, Mass., donated $10,000 to the Russell Seibert Scholarship on behalf of Priscilla M. McDougal of Kalamazoo. Seibert, professor emeritus of history, joined WMU in 1936 and retired in 1973 as vice president for academic affairs. The fund in his name was established in 1974 and supports and encourages undergraduate scholarly activities. McDougal, who received a master of arts degree from WMU in 1973, is Seibert's daughter.
Major gifts received by the Paper Technology Foundation during March, April and May include two donations totaling $100,000 from the Georgia-Pacific Corp. of Atlanta.
One gift of $50,000 creates the Georgia-Pacific Corp. Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship is an extension of the foundation's corporate philosophy to promote prosperity at the local level by investing in the training and preparation of young men and women in communities where Georgia-Pacific has facilities.
The other $50,000 donation went to the equipment fund of the Paper Technology Foundation's ongoing capital campaign. The five-year, $5.75 million campaign began in July 1995 and will conclude in June 2000.
The Paper Technology Foundation also received $10,000 from Stanley Bert Leedy of Fort Myers, Fla., to endow the Dale L. Leedy Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship supports undergraduate students enrolled in WMU's paper programs. Stanley, who received a bachelor of science degree from WMU in 1962, helped establish the fund in honor of his brother. Dale, who died this past February, received a bachelor of science degree from WMU in 1956.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu
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