WMU News

September gifts to WMU total nearly $1 million

Oct. 31, 1997

KALAMAZOO -- Nearly $1 million in gifts was donated to Western Michigan University during September, according to a report presented to the WMU Board of Trustees at its Oct. 31 meeting.

September gifts amounted to $978,914, putting the total of all gifts received in the first quarter of the 1997-98 fiscal year at $1,418,984. The September figure includes $409,685 in current cash gifts, $525,000 in deferred cash gifts and $44,229 in non-cash gifts.

Major donations reported included a $525,000 gift by an anonymous donor. Significant gifts also were reported in conjunction with two fund-raising campaigns.

The Science Campaign Equipment Fund received an $11,000 donation from Michael B. Shubeck and his wife, Nancy A. Monsour, of Kalamazoo. Shubeck, a former vice president with the L. Perrigo Co. in Allegan, is a member of the WMU Foundation. He earned two degrees from WMU, a bachelor of arts degree in 1972 and a master of arts degree in 1975. Monsour, an occupational therapist, earned a bachelor of science degree from WMU in 1977.

The science campaign is an effort to raise $5 million in private support to help equip the new science facilities now under construction on the West Campus. When completed in 1999, the building project will result in WMU having some of the most advanced facilities for science research and education in the Midwest. To date, the campaign has raised about 60 percent of the funds being sought from the private sector.

In addition, the Bronco Alumni Football Center campaign has raised 75 percent of its $4.2 million goal with the help of a $10,000 gift from longtime University donors John C. (Jack) and Helen Wattles of Kalamazoo. Both Wattles and his wife graduated from WMU in 1955, Jack with a bachelor of business administration degree and Helen with a bachelor of science degree.

Wattles, who is chairman and president of Arcadia Investment Management Corp. in Kalamazoo, has been an active University volunteer for many years. He is a director emeritus of the WMU Foundation, a lifetime member of the WMU Alumni Association, a member of the President's Circle and McKee Society, and a former Alumni Association board member and Mike Gary Athletic Fund volunteer.

The football center is a 50,000-square-foot addition to Waldo Stadium that 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.

Also received in September was a $10,000 gift for WMU's Annual Fund from Richard A. Lenon of Glenview, Ill. A director emeritus of the WMU Foundation, Lenon received a WMU Distinguished Alumni Award in 1976. He graduated from the University in 1941 with a bachelor of arts degree while his wife, Helen Johnson, attended WMU from 1939 to 1941. The two are members of the WMU Alumni Association and the President's Circle. Lenon is the retired chairman of the board of International Mineral & Chemicals Corp., now IMCERA Group Inc., of Northbrook, Ill.

The Annual Fund encompasses a variety of annual giving programs, including the Mike Gary Athletic Fund and WMU Phonathon. Gifts to the fund may be designated for specific purposes or donated for the University's unrestricted use. These private gifts augment state funding.

Among the other major September gifts reported was a $10,000 contribution from the Kalamazoo Living Endowment for scholarships for occupational therapy students. The endowment is funded by of the American Business Clubs or AMBUCS.


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