JMU - 2008-09 Scholarship & Endowment Luncheon (Page 3)
Thank You, Donors!
Your gift to James Madison can make a difference in the lives of students. View video
The Madison Project, one of JMU's finest a cappella groups, sings thanks to JMU's gracious donors. View video.
It's more than a building - watch three students thank Forbes Center donors for their support of the arts at JMU. View video.
Assistant Dean of the College of Education Maggie Kyger discusses the importance of private giving. View video.
Daniel Morgan ('10) turned a class assignment into a project that changed lives in Uganda. View video.
Dean of the College of Visual & Performing Arts George Sparks shares his thanks to donors. View video.
Click here to view the 2010 Stewardship Luncheon (formerly the Scholarship & Endowment Luncheon).
2008-09 Scholarship & Endowment Luncheon (Page 3)
Donor Story 2: How Cows in Reading, Pennsylvania are Connected to Cows in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Gifts have the ability to take on a life of their own. Philanthropy connects us in many ways, sometimes across great distances and often through a passion, like entrepreneurship, and sometimes across several generations through people, like a beloved mentor.
Dr. William Mengebier was a fixture at Madison College in the 1950's, joining JMU as the head of the Biology Department in 1954 and serving as the 1958 class sponsor.
More than 20 years later, a graduate of the Class of 1958, Pat Smith Wilson, would begin organizing her classmates to create a Class of 1958 fund. They had many conversations about how they wanted their scholarship to impact lives in the JMU community, ultimately deciding to use their fund to support professors who mean as much to their students today as Dr. Mengebier did to them, creating the Mengebier Endowed Professorship.
Dr. William Mengebier to Pat Smith Wilson ('58)...
Several graduates from the Class of '58 were in attendance at the Scholarship & Endowment Luncheon. One of them was Betty Ball Mann, who, like many Madison students in the 1950s, studied education. Mann also established a scholarship in honor of her class year, this one to benefit students in the Special Education department.
...Pat Smith Wilson to Betty Ball Mann ('58)...
Amy Montgomery ('08, '10M) is a student in the education program, much like Betty Ball Mann in 1958. Montgomery is the very first recipient of the Betty Ball Mann Endowment for Special Education Scholarships.
...Betty Ball Mann to Amy Montgomery ('08, '10M)...
Another first is Dr. David Pruett, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Pruett’s teaching philosophy is that “awe is the beginning of wisdom.” In his 12 years at JMU, Dr. Pruett has done much to inspire awe in his students.
...Amy Montgomery to Dr. David Pruett...
Pruett's excellence in teaching and dedication to his students is reminiscent of another beloved professor in Madison’s history: Professor Menegebier.
For this reason, Dr. Pruett is the first recipient of the Menegebier Endowed Professorship gifted by the Class of 1958.
...around again to Dr. Mengebier!
Plus one more connection:
Dr. Maggie Kyger ('80) from JMU and today helps oversee our College of Education as Assistant Dean. She is also the daughter of the late Professor Mengebier. Kyger was on-hand to talk about what the endowment means to her.
Click here to view Maggie Kyger's remarks: Part 5/7
Keep reading to find out how the entire JMU community is connected to a national hero
