FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2007
BETHANY COLLEGE RECEIVES TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFTS
LINSDBORG, KAN.—On Nov. 16, Bethany College President Edward F. Leonard III announced two major gifts – one a $1 million challenge grant, the other a $400,000 estate gift – that will make a transformational difference at Bethany, in Lindsborg and in the lives of students for generations to come.
“Over the last few weeks, God’s hand has touched Bethany College. We are blessed by the generosity of these donors, their faith in Bethany, and their commitment to bringing Bethany forward into a bright future,” said Leonard.
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| Gerald "Bud" Pearson |
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Gerald “Bud” Pearson, a long-time friend of the college, has challenged the college to raise $1 million for the construction of a new Swedish chapel and welcome center on campus.
If the college raises $1 million towards the project by June 30, 2008, Pearson will complete the challenge by donating a matching gift of $1 million.
When fulfilled, the Pearson challenge grant will be the largest gift from a living donor in the college’s 126 year history.
The new Swedish chapel and welcome center will serve as a place of worship and house the admissions office.
Pearson, a former member of the board of directors and current member of the president’s advisory council at Bethany, underwrote a campus master plan for the college in the 1990s. Part of that plan – which helped drive the current Campus Green project – was Pearson’s original idea for a chapel.
In a letter to Bethany College and the Lindsborg community, Pearson wrote, “I fell in love with you both over 20 years ago. There were dark times and bright times. I believe you are now in the brightest times I have seen and the best of all is on the way.
“My intuition tells me there will be a great response to my challenge and 2008 will see this dream become a reality.”
He also noted, “I wanted to do a chapel eight years ago, but…it is good we waited because we will now get a better chapel, plus a welcome center, and in a perfect spot on the campus.”
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| Board Chair Tad Doering (l) and President Ed Leonard |
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Leonard, along with Board of Directors Chair Tad Doering, shared the letter with alumni, students, staff, faculty and friends gathered on the stage of Presser Hall Friday afternoon.
The $400,000 estate gift from the Ronald “Max” Green and Tulsa Lea (Tease) Green Trust will be used to support scholarships for music education students at Bethany College.
“As these students graduate and enter music classrooms throughout Kansas and beyond, their own students will benefit from the excellent music education their teachers received, thanks to Max and Tulsa Lea Green,” said Doering.
Max Green received his bachelor’s in music education from Bethany in 1958. He and his wife worked for many years in the Olathe public school system, and operated a music store in Olathe that helped generations of students learn to play band instruments.
“At this time in Bethany’s history, we should be led by our dreams of a Bethany renaissance – and the dreams of the Greens and the Pearsons,” said Doering. “For that reason, this announcement occurs immediately before this weekend’s community retreat, where we will explore our strengths and opportunities, share our aspirations to co-construct a shared future, and define success in terms of the results that will achieve our renaissance.”
Key leaders from more than 15 constituent groups will participate in the retreat today and tomorrow on the Bethany College campus.
Pearson and his wife, Beverly, reside in Okoboji, Iowa.
A retired executive who values his Swedish-American heritage, Pearson said he wishes to share his good fortune in life and wants “to see the fruits of the gift while I can enjoy them.”
In 1952 Pearson founded Spencer Foods, Inc., a beef-packing company in Spencer, Iowa. As chairman, president and C.E.O., he led the company into the position of the third-largest packer in the United States and a ranking on FORTUNE magazine’s prestigious list of the country’s 500 largest industrial companies.
An accomplished golfer, Pearson formed World Champions of Golf in 1998. He also has a deep interest in and appreciation for art. He has established the Pearson Art Foundation in order to expand the appreciation of art by all members of the community, and specifically to enhance the enjoyment of art by young people.
Although he never attended college himself, and is not Lutheran, Pearson’s dedication and generosity demonstrate his commitment to the mission of Bethany College and his appreciation of its Swedish-American, Lutheran heritage.
Pearson served on the Bethany College Board of Directors from 1989 – 1993 and 1994 – 2000. In 1994, he established the Bethany College Pearson Lectureship and Endowed Chair in Swedish Studies, now known as the Pearson Distinguished Professor of Swedish Studies program.
Under the program, each year a key figure in Swedish culture, arts or scholarship assumes the professorship at Bethany College. The purpose is to discover ways in which contemporary Swedish culture and experience can illuminate and strengthen life in the United States.
Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service. Bethany College is on the Web at www.bethanylb.edu.
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