The Donald and Lorena Meier Foundation of Chicago is making a major gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation to create four endowed student scholarship funds and to expand and permanently endow 14 existing scholarship funds. The scholarships will benefit students across the University of Nebraska system who meet the criteria of each.
This article originally appeared on Nebraska Today.
To contribute to any of these Universities and specifically CoJMC at UNL, see the links below:
An additional gift of $755,000 from the Meier Foundation will support the construction of a new television studio and newsroom at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. It replaces an existing studio and will include a newsroom, television control area and three separate news sets. It will incorporate cutting-edge technology that supports live broadcasts or one-person productions.
A 1941 Husker alumnus, the late Donald “Don” Meier used estate planning to direct assets from his charitable foundation to provide significant support for the University of Nebraska. During their lives, Meier and his late wife, Lorena, gave regularly to the university and established 14 student scholarship funds, the first one being created in 1999.
“The generous support from Donald and Lorena Meier — during their lives and through planned giving — will help make the university even more accessible and affordable for thousands of students,” Chancellor Ronnie Green said. “Support for a new, state-of-the-art TV studio and newsroom will also offer a truly professional experience for journalism students.
“The philanthropic mark made by Don and Lorena on our students and the entire University of Nebraska system will continue for generations.”
The Donald and Lorena Meier Foundation has committed to transfer assets to the University of Nebraska Foundation over the next several years to fulfill the Meiers’ wishes of helping young people achieve their educational goals.
“Don and Lorena Meier cared deeply about Don’s alma mater and assisting students in achieving their own career success and enjoyment,” said David Shoub, president of the Donald and Lorena Meier Foundation. “Over the next 25 years, the foundation plans to provide an estimated $10 million in support of student scholarships to fulfill the charitable wishes of Don and Lorena. We’re pleased to be carrying forth their aspirations in making a University of Nebraska education possible for more promising students for generations to come.”
Don and Lorena Meier had distinguished media careers that included the production of award-winning national network television shows, the most popular and long running being Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” and “Zoo Parade.”
“Wild Kingdom” was an Emmy-winning wildlife documentary program starring Marlin Perkins that aired from 1963 to 1971 on NBC, after which it entered syndication. Episodes of the program air on RFD-TV, with new and updated content across many of its digital properties.
Meier also produced “Zoo Parade,” a 1950s NBC program featuring animals from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Prior to producing these programs, Meier served as an NBC producer for several local programs and events, including television broadcasts of Chicago Cubs and White Sox baseball games.
Don Meier’s interest in supporting student scholarships was influenced by his own experience at the University of Nebraska. During his lifetime, he considered different ways to support the university but was especially drawn to opportunities for scholarships or other projects that directly benefit students.
“I had no other dream than to go to the University of Nebraska,” he told the university in 2008 in announcing his plans for significant support of student scholarships.
Don Meier’s dream did not come easy. He worked off and on during college, sometimes taking up to a year off to work or to return home to Oshkosh, Nebraska, where he had a job as a high school librarian. He completed his college education in six years.
“I remember my own struggles to complete my college education,” he once said. “In those days, back in the 1930s, they didn’t have a lot of scholarships. I just remember how tough it was for me to make it. It became apparent to me as I pursued my own career that the main thing is not only the support, but it’s important to get kids into college, and I agree with my wife who says that all students should seek to expand their potential by seeking full development of their talent.”
Lorena Meier died June 22, 2018, at age 100, and Don Meier died July 13, 2019, at age 104.
The Donald and Lorena Meier Foundation has committed over several years to support new and existing scholarship funds that were established by Don and Lorena Meier. Students enrolled in the following colleges and areas of the University of Nebraska who meet certain scholarship criteria are eligible:
University of Nebraska–Lincoln:
University of Nebraska at Kearney:
Any University of Nebraska campus:
Story from the University of Nebraska at Kearney
A partnership between the University of Nebraska at Kearney and University of Nebraska Medical Center, the proposed Rural Health Education Building in Kearney will further address the need for more health care workers in the state’s rural areas.
The Rural Health Education Building would build upon an existing partnership between UNK and UNMC that’s shown great success. The two institutions opened a $19 million Health Science Education Complex on UNK’s west campus in 2015, and that facility quickly filled to capacity.
The new Rural Health Education Building would allow UNMC to expand its existing nursing programs and bring new options to the UNK campus, including occupational therapy, medical nutrition, genetic counseling and respiratory care – all high-need areas in rural Nebraska.
For the first time, the UNMC College of Medicine would educate physicians in rural Nebraska, and a Master of Health Administration would be added to complement UNK’s undergraduate program.
The Rural Health Education Building would also offer professional development, training and continuing education opportunities for existing health care workers and support research that improves the lives of Nebraskans.
Healthy Blue Nebraska is supporting a University of Nebraska at Kearney project focused on the broadband internet disparities that exist in rural Nebraska with a $100,000 gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation.
Affordable, high-speed internet is almost a necessity in today’s world, yet many people in Nebraska and the U.S. still lack access. The Federal Communications Commission estimates 19 million Americans don’t have access to broadband services. Most of these people – 14.5 million – live in rural areas.
Through its Rural Measures project, UNK is examining the digital divide that exists across the state, giving regulatory agencies and internet providers a clearer picture of where broadband infrastructure needs to improve. This is especially important because the internet delivers a wide range of healthcare services and information while being equally important in education, business and more.
“This donation will provide our rural communities with resources to stay connected, promote health and wellness, and enable emotional and social support,” said Dr. Rob Rhodes, president of Healthy Blue Nebraska. “If rural patients have a good internet connection, they can expand their options for medical services and specialists while also saving time, money and avoiding unnecessary travel. Healthy Blue continues to adopt a digital-first approach within the local community and connect with members when they want and how they want it, putting them at the center. Technology is helping close gaps in care and better support members across the state. Connectivity is crucial for continuing education, getting or maintaining a job, and accessing benefits and services.”
The Rural Measures project is led by the College of Business and Technology in collaboration with other areas of UNK.
“We feel for the people in our rural areas who experience poor-quality broadband service,” said Tim Obermier, professor of industrial technology and cyber systems at UNK and a Rural Measures coleader. “You hear all the time about people who are unable to get good, quality internet service. Because of the ever-increasing need for this technology, it affects people’s lives in substantial ways.”
In a state where roughly 35% of the residents live in rural areas, it’s easy to spot the disparities in broadband internet service, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to do more online from home. This has exposed “gaping holes” in Nebraska’s internet infrastructure, according to Angela Hollman, associate professor of cyber systems at UNK and a Rural Measures coleader.
“Access to quality internet service directly impacts a lot of people in a lot of ways,” Hollman said. “This has been a big motivator for us to try to figure out how we can help Nebraska solve this problem, so we’re grateful to Healthy Blue Nebraska for its support of this work.”
The Rural Measures project uses a small, in-home device known as a QT (quantitative throughput) to accurately test and report the broadband speeds internet users are experiencing. Participants in the study also complete a survey to provide an even fuller range of information collected on internet service use and experiences. More information about the project is at ruralmeasures.com.
About Healthy Blue
Healthy Blue helps improve healthcare access and quality for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members in Nebraska. Healthy Blue serves Nebraskans by developing and delivering innovative care management programs and services. Healthy Blue members are assured care that is not only accessible, but also accountable, comprehensive, integrated and patient-centered. It provides ongoing community relations and outreach to encourage members to become active participants in their healthcare. For more information about Healthy Blue, please visit, www.myhealthybluene.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter @HealthyBlueNE and LinkedIn @healthy-blue-nebraska.
We are in uncharted territory.
A national emergency declaration in response to a pandemic virus is new to all of us, and we want to be both sensitive and responsive to the unique situation of every single student, every alumnus and every friend of the University of Nebraska.
With economic uncertainty a reality for many, we ask for financial support with prudence. At the same time, some in our university family have reached out to ask how they can help, and some student support organizations have reached out to seek assistance.
We’ve highlighted some funds here that allow you to help our students, patients and communities during this public health crisis.
Whether you’re able to give at this time or not, we extend our wishes for your health and safety.
Sincerely,
Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.
President, University of Nebraska
Ronnie D. Green, Ph.D.
Chancellor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
Chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Omaha
Douglas Kristensen, J.D.
Chancellor, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Brian F. Hastings
President and CEO, University of Nebraska Foundation
Last updated April 1, 2020
This is information about how the University of Nebraska Foundation is responding to the COVID-19 public health crisis as we continue our commitment to serving the University of Nebraska and its valued stakeholders.
Given the challenges our state, country and world face now, the foundation remains more committed than ever to our extremely relevant mission to grow relationships and resources that enable the University of Nebraska to change lives and save lives.
We are in uncharted territory.
A national emergency declaration in response to a pandemic virus is new to all of us, and we want to be both sensitive and responsive to the unique situation of every student, alumnus and friend of the University of Nebraska.
With economic uncertainty a reality for many, we ask for financial support with prudence. At the same time, some in our university family have reached out to ask how they can help, and some student support organizations have reached out for assistance.
From all of us at the foundation, our thoughts are with those around the world who are affected by the coronavirus and the challenges it brings. We encourage you to please take precautions to be safe, and, as always, thank you for all that you do for the University of Nebraska.
Our top priority is the health, safety and well-being of our team members, supporters, alumni and friends.
While most foundation employees have been directed to work remotely, our offices — located in Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha — remain open.
As we continue to receive and acknowledge all gifts made through the mail or online here at nufoundation.org, our commitment to our mission has become more important than ever.
For the safety of all involved, the foundation has suspended all travel by our team members outside Nebraska and has canceled or postponed gatherings and events, including those held in partnership with the University of Nebraska. In addition, meetings and direct interactions with donors, alumni, university personnel or other stakeholders will be held via video or phone or postponed to a later date.
The NU Foundation is monitoring the latest public health advisements and following updates from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, local health departments and our own experts at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and evaluate additional measures as needs arise.
Each campus — UNL, UNMC, UNO and UNK — has information available for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to help navigate this situation as best as possible. We’re especially proud of the important role that the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine, are taking in the battle against the coronavirus.
The University of Nebraska continues to be an information resource for the news media, including Esquire, CNN, Time, The New York Times, CBS “60 Minutes,” News Channel Nebraska and others.
“We are a team, and in times like this, teams rally,” said Brian Hastings, president and CEO. “I have every confidence that we will come through this situation as a stronger organization and with an even greater commitment and appreciation for our mission.”
We remain available to help and serve you. If you need information or assistance, please use any of these ways to reach us:
You may have noticed that our website looks quite different.
This is, of course, by design. We decided it was time for a facelift.
As always, our aim was to simplify and ease the experience of giving, to help get you where you need to go so you’re able to impact our students, our campuses and our state.
What you see is the culmination of many months of hard work and the result of input from every area of our organization, our campus and you.
Here are just a few things you’ll find on the new site:
We hope you enjoy the new nufoundation.org, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s newest building raises the bar for early childhood education, setting a standard for high-quality learning and instruction that will benefit the state’s youngest residents for generations to come.
Members of the UNK community and guests from across the state got their first look inside the game-changing facility during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 8, 2019, for the LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck Early Childhood Education Center, a $7.8 million building that officially opens Nov. 4 on UNK’s University Village development.
“The Plambeck Center is going to be a model for the best early childhood education centers in the United States,” said Chancellor Doug Kristensen, who called the 19,900-square-foot building a “shining jewel” on the UNK campus.
“There’s really no place like this in the state of Nebraska,” Kristensen said while noting the impact it will have on local families, UNK students and communities across the region. “The possibilities here are endless.”
The Plambeck Center, which replaces UNK’s Child Development Center, is the first academic building in the University Village footprint. Located near the Village Flats housing complex, it features 11 classrooms that will serve up to 180 children from infant to age 6, including those with special needs, with spots available for UNK students, staff and faculty, as well as families from the Kearney area.
“By opening the doors to the community, the center will serve a more diverse group of children and give UNK students a chance to work with families from different backgrounds,” Kristensen said.
Led by highly trained educators, the center allows children to explore reading, writing, art, music, sciences and physical education in structured learning environments that utilize either creative curriculum, building on children’s knowledge to develop confidence, creativity and critical-thinking skills, or the Montessori teaching method, a student-centered approach that encourages exploration, independence and lifelong learning.
“This is much more than a building,” University of Nebraska interim President Susan Fritz said during Tuesday’s event. “It’s a signal to children and families, to our students, and to the community that we are making an investment in the future.”
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
In addition to serving Kearney-area families, the Plambeck Center will address a statewide need for early childhood educators by training undergraduate and graduate students in a hands-on setting that exposes them to the best teaching methods.
“We know there’s a severe shortage of high-quality early childhood education providers,” said Grace Mims, interim dean of UNK’s College of Education. “That’s been a big issue, especially for rural Nebraska.”
According to the 2018 Kids Count in Nebraska Report, nine counties statewide had no licensed child care facilities in 2017, and a majority of Nebraska counties with child care facilities didn’t have enough available spots to meet the estimated demand.
First Five Nebraska, a group working to improve early childhood education in the state, estimates Nebraska needs more than 7,900 highly qualified early childhood professionals to serve only at-risk children facing poverty and other challenges. Currently, there are about 2,000 of these professionals working in the state.
“It’s a workforce need and a community need,” said Mims, noting that child care and early education are among the top priorities for employees and businesses looking to move into a community.
UNK’s early childhood education program, which is among the largest in the state with more than 260 majors, can play a key role in building this skilled workforce.
“It’s exciting to have a facility like this in our community,” said Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Derek Rusher, who called the Plambeck Center the “Cadillac” of early childhood education. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Kearney.”
COLLABORATION
The Plambeck Center will serve as a lab school for UNK, giving early childhood and elementary education students an opportunity to work directly with children while learning from top-notch instructors.
This opens the door for numerous professional development and experiential learning opportunities, including observations, practicums, internships, student teaching, diagnostic testing and research.
“The Early Childhood Education Center already is a destination for some of the best faculty in the country,” Fritz said. “It’s a place where undergraduate and graduate students will become our best teachers.”
The Plambeck Center will also promote interdisciplinary collaborations across UNK’s three colleges and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, benefiting faculty and students in areas such as communication disorders, physical and special education, family studies, psychology, social work, fine arts and nursing, and advance and create partnerships at the community, state and national levels.
Those partnerships, including the vision shared by UNK, UNMC and the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, demonstrate the University of Nebraska’s commitment to early childhood education, Fritz said.
“The Plambeck Center is another example of what we as a university system, and UNK specifically, are doing to help Nebraska thrive,” she said. “It is providing incredible opportunities to build on our momentum.”
A financial gift from LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck of Omaha, a longtime advocate for early childhood education, added two dedicated Montessori classrooms to the Early Childhood Education Center named in her honor, as well as an endowed Montessori education professorship and an endowed fund that will support workshops, seminars and other outreach activities for early childhood education providers across Nebraska.
“LaVonne’s vision to bring this kind of expertise and emphasis on early childhood education to UNK will impact the state forever,” said Mims, who recognized Plambeck with the Early Childhood Pioneer Award during last month’s Early Childhood Conference at UNK.
The heart of this home beats happily because its walls can now tell the whole story.
The story of all its lives. The story of all its people, who lived here and loved here and (sometimes) died here in this red sandstone mansion on the prairie.
Thanks to a head-to-toe restoration — along with a head-to-toe restoration of its story — this home, now called the G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, can tell its more complex and compelling story. It’s a story that’s no longer just about the wealthy Frank family who built the house in 1890, but one that also talks about all the people whose hearts once beat within these walls.
The servants, who kept the fires burning and cooked and cleaned and quietly turned in at night to their quarters, up a narrow stairway to the third floor.
The patients, who lived here after the Franks had moved on, when the house became part of the Nebraska State Hospital for Tuberculosis.
The kids with sick lungs. The adults. The fear.
The families who’d visit.
The blood, coughed up into paper bags.
The brave local workers, who took those bags to the incinerator and changed bedpans and rubbed backs and pushed bodies to the morgue, workers who risked their own lives in a time when TB was the nation’s No.1 killer.
The resilience.
Those stories and more are now being told in depth, said William Stoutamire, Ph.D., the director of the G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture at UNK who oversaw the restoration.
And the museum is now, at its heart, he said, the bigger story of Kearney itself.
“This place tells an important story,” he said. “But the impact of the story is much broader than the home and its grounds. We’re always trying to think, as a museum, how we can reach beyond the walls, to the reverberations, the ripples in the pond, of the impact that the actions and decisions of the people in this house had on the broader community.
“And I think these walls now speak, among other things, of the diversity of the history of this part of the country — a much more vibrant and dynamic history.”
***
Kearney had never seen anything like this house when George and Phoebe Frank built it. Kearney had never seen anything like the gilded Franks, who came from the East with the hope in their hearts to develop Kearney’s industry, complete its canal and turn Kearney into a hydroelectric-powered city, one to rival Minneapolis.
This home was their stage, in a way, a place to throw lavish parties to show potential investors that this part of world was civilized. It was the first home around with indoor plumbing and electricity and radiator heat. One of the Franks’ sons, an architect, designed it. It has hand-carved woodwork and hand-stenciled walls. A grand stained-glass window at the top of the grand staircase depicts a woman, a bird eating from her hand. (Phoebe? No one knows for sure.)
This home became the heart of Kearney’s high society.
But the Frank family’s fortunes wilted. The Panic of 1893 hit them hard, and so did a drought, which dried up the local economy. They went bankrupt. The architect son died young. The oldest, a banker, probably killed himself. After Phoebe died in 1900, George lived his last few years in Lincoln with their daughter.
This home moved on.
By the early 1900s, the Franks were all but forgotten. The Frank House name is a modern anachronism. The home, for most of its life, was simply called the Stone House.
Most of the Franks’ servants were immigrants from Sweden, Germany and Czechoslovakia who barely spoke English, Stoutamire said. They moved on, too, but often they moved into the community.
The next owners of the house were married doctors who turned it into a hospital. After they divorced, the wife kept it going for a few years before selling it to the state of Nebraska, which turned it into the TB hospital for the next six decades.
Most of the patients weren’t from the community. They came from Lincoln or Omaha and beyond. They were the poor who couldn’t afford a sanatorium, people of all colors, living and dying alongside one another in their hospital beds.
Kearney, its economy still recovering from the crash, was happy to have the hospital here in 1912, even if people feared the disease its walls were trying to contain.
As the epidemic grew across the state, the Stone House grew too small. A big brick hospital was eventually built nearby and connected to the Stone House by an underground tunnel (that building is now the home of the UNK College of Business and Technology). The hospital treated up to 300 patients at times. The Stone House became living quarters for the workers and some of the patients’ families.
“Kearney had a mixed relationship with the hospital,” Stoutamire said. “Some people were very happy. Some were afraid of having a hospital here and the potential of an epidemic breaking out in the community.”
The new story here now talks a lot about those local workers, how even though the hospital became a place of fear, it also became a place for opportunity, a way for those workers, often young farm women, to gain financial freedom. Many formed bonds with this place and with one another.
In what could have been such a sad setting, its old photos seem to show happy stories, too.
The new story also talks about how the workers built a sense of normalcy for their patients, especially the children. There were picnics along the Kearney Canal, holiday concerts, big bows in combed hair and smiles that don’t look staged for the camera.
“As far as the people who actually came and spent time out here,” Stoutamire said, “I think it speaks to their humanity — of wanting to do great things for others.”
Eliza Galloway’s story has been restored, too.
She was a servant in the Franks’ household, one of the few African-Americans in Kearney at the time. According to the old story, Galloway was practically a member of the family, a former slave whom the Franks had rescued from homelessness after she had been freed. (Not true.)
Galloway didn’t talk much about herself, so her story has been told through oral histories. To a white woman in Kearney she’d befriend, Galloway told one version — that her slave owners were benevolent, tried to teach her to read and write, but she just hid under the table, too afraid. But on her deathbed, Galloway told a nun a different story — that her life as a slave had been horrific, far worse than anything in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
The new story shows her in context with her times and the limited opportunities she had to advance in life, unlike the Franks.
“With historic house museums,” Stoutamire said, “it’s been so, so, so common, still, today, to basically try to restore the place to the way it would have looked at the time of the first family and erase everything else that happened.
“We’re trying to do something different. We’re trying to show how the history of this place has evolved, how so much has happened since 1890.”
***
If these walls could talk, what would they say about this renovation?
“Hopefully, they’re happy,” Stoutamire said. “Hopefully, they like what we’ve done.”
He credits all of the generous people who’ve donated to the museum for making this renovation and rebranding possible. The vast majority of this work, he said, has been done with that support.
“We have received some external grants,” he said, “but by and large, it’s been done through the support of people through the University of Nebraska Foundation.”
If these walls could talk, what would they say to those donors?
“I think the walls would say, ‘Thank you,’ and that this place probably wouldn’t be here without them,” Stoutamire said. “And I think these walls would say, ‘Come see what good can be done with your donations.’”
About this photo: Graphic artist Jase Hueser earned six awards, including best of show, at the recent Nebraska ADDYs design competition. The 2018 UNK grad received the Daake Design Scholarship at UNK and was hired by Daake, a Nebraska-based marketing firm.
When many students head to college, their journey is often filled with discovering one’s abilities. But Jake Hueser, a recent University of Nebraska-Kearney graduate, always had a clear path. His talents were visible from the moment he stepped onto the UNK campus as a visual communication and design major.
“A lot of people assume that graphic design is just kind of this vapid profession where you make pretty pictures on a computer screen,” he said. “But there’s a lot of logic that goes into it, a lot of psychology.”
Heuser’s work ethic and artistic ability didn’t go unnoticed. He was awarded the Daake Design Scholarship during his academic career at UNK. Later, he received a job offer from the donors behind the scholarship.
Scholarship created to build future workforce
The Daake Design Scholarship fund was established in 2009 by UNK alumni Greg and Lisa Daake. Greg, a 1996 commercial art grad, and Lisa, a 1995 business administration grad, are the founders of Daake, an Omaha-based national design firm.
Their permanently endowed scholarship helps with tuition for a UNK student pursuing a degree in visual communication and design.
“I want that program to succeed. I want people to be interested in it,” Greg said. “I think it’s the best program in the state, and we’re just really thankful that we have the means to give back.”
The Daakes’ often hire student interns and full-time employees, too, with whom they share a UNK connection. Hueser was the latest student to get the opportunity.
“There is kind of a UNK DNA here,” Greg said about his company.
Graphic art a longtime passion for Jase Hueser
Hueser’s background in design extends back to his days at Papillion-La Vista South High School where he was already completing graphic design work for local clients.
“I always was really intrigued by art,” he said. “I think around junior high I started discovering art could translate into an actual vocation besides just studio work.”
His knowledge of computers allowed for his artistic abilities to translate into graphic design work. Hueser said he enjoys coming up with creative ways to communicate a message through logos, campaigns and promotional materials.
While in college, he was able to show off his passion and ability through the Nebraska ADDY awards. At the competition, he competed against student design majors from across the state and earned four golds, a silver and a special judges’ citation award.
“There was a lot of really great work from the other students,” he said. “It can be a bit intimidating to see the creativity coming from UNK and other Nebraska schools.”
Hueser’s work included a promotional package of movie posters, a wine bottle and social media and online components based on the 1944 film “Arsenic and Old Lace.” According to Hueser, the judges appreciated the cohesiveness of his design elements.
More than a scholarship, a relationship
The recent grad has his opportunities to thank for his successes. The Daake Design Scholarship allowed Heuser to develop a professional connection with the Daake family, while Hueser’s advanced UNK education allowed him to go above and beyond in his creative work.
Due to the Daakes’ generosity, we are able to see young men and women thrive in an outstanding UNK program.
“We have a special place in our heart for UNK,” Greg Daake said.
This article was written by Tyler Ellyson, UNK news writer, and was edited for this story by Jessica Moore, public relations intern at the University of Nebraska Foundation.
Well known among the University of Nebraska at Kearney community – especially by those in Loper athletics – for his compassion and generous student scholarship donations, Bob Sahling is helping students once again.
The Robert P. Sahling estate has bequeathed $1.95 million to UNK, bringing to more than $3.25 million the total support the late Kearney resident and businessman provided to help Nebraska students with their college educations.
“The Sahling family has made a difference for many years, and continues to make a difference, in the lives of our students,” UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen said in recognizing this latest gift. “Their support and longtime commitment to UNK has meant so much to many people. We are grateful for their generosity and interest in our university.”
While Sahling didn’t have the opportunity to attend college, he enjoyed providing scholarship support for UNK students, including awards for Loper football players and non-athletes studying any major on campus. The permanently endowed funds he established through the University of Nebraska Foundation provide an annual income that will perpetually enable the university to award scholarships to both UNK football players and non-athletes who graduate from a Nebraska high school and meet certain academic requirements.
As a current recipient of a Sahling Scholarship, Jonah Peterson of Central City says that without the tuition help he received, his goal of helping others through health care information technology would be difficult to achieve on his own.
“The Sahling family’s love and generosity have helped in ways I can’t even begin to describe to you,” said the UNK junior systems administration major who plans to work in rural health care. “From the bottom of my heart, believe me when I say this, the university appreciates his one-of-a-kind contributions. He has made so many students’ dreams become a reality, and I can only hope to repay the kindness by helping others through my career.”
Based on current estimates, the combined endowed Sahling scholarship funds will make available about $140,000 each year for the university to award in scholarship support. Depending on the number and award amounts, this will enable the university to help between 30 and 40 students each year with tuition assistance.
When announcing his earlier $1.2 million scholarship gift in 2013, Sahling said, “I experience real joy in getting to know the students and seeing their many accomplishments. What has also motivated me to give is witnessing the dedication of university leadership to the important mission of UNK.”
Sahling grew up in the Dust Bowl days on a farm near Kenesaw, and is a childhood survivor of scarlet fever, which took the life of his sister. His mother worked tirelessly to care for her family, making the family’s clothes and maintaining their home, while his father operated trucks to support his family.
After graduating from Kenesaw High School in 1943 and serving in the U.S. Navy Air Corps, Sahling worked for his dad’s combining and trucking business. He started selling trucks in 1948 for Hastings Motor Truck Co. and later worked as a real estate broker.
Bob married Doris “Dode” Heacock in 1955 in Kearney, and they raised four children: John, Sherry, Ron and Holly. In 1968, Bob started his own company, Sahling Truck and Trailer in Kearney. The company changed its name to Sahling Kenworth in 1973. It also had operations in York and Columbus. Bob retired from the business in 1998.
Dode Sahling died on Oct. 19, 2007, and Bob Sahling died on March 1, 2017.
UNK senior says Sahling Scholarship ‘helped me achieve my goal’
By Mariah DaMoude, University of Nebraska at Kearney
I am from Hershey and am a senior studying Spanish education and English as a second language. After graduation I would like to fulfill my dreams of becoming a teacher.
My goal has been to make it through college debt free which is not an easy thing to do, and I am going to be a teacher, so everybody knows it would be hard to pay off that debt on a teacher’s salary.
I want the Sahling family to know that this scholarship has helped me achieve my goal of making it through college debt free, and, because of that, I feel so much more ready to pursue my dreams of becoming a teacher without the financial burden of college to worry about. It’s going to help me focus on my teaching instead of worrying about the payments. I am so thankful to them for being so generous.
Thank you for honoring the Sahling family and their generosity.
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Kearney, NE 68845
308-798-5270
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© 2019 University of Nebraska Foundation
