WHY I GIVE
David Learned
Drs. Herbert and Car
ol Lindsley
To pass opportunity on Donor: Drs. Herbert and Carol Lindsley, Leawood, Kan. Gift: $20,000 to the School of Engineering; $10,000 to the School of Medicine Purpose: To establish the Betlack Engineering Scholarship in the School of Engineering, which will provide financial aid to deserving and talented students; and to further research and education in rheumatology. Why We Give: “There are many qualified students who need scholarship assistance in order to attend college. Many years ago, as a KU undergraduate, I was one of those students, benefiting from a Watkins scholarship. So at this point, since many family members are in the engineering field, including my father and brother after whom the scholarship is named, we would like to pass this type of opportunity on to engineering students. “In addition, we are both in the rheumatology field, and we wanted to make a gift to the School of Medicine that furthers research and education in musculoskeletal ultrasound.” — Carol Lindsley, M.D.
8
| KU GIVING | SUMMER 2011
The best physicians they can be Donors: David K. Learned, M.D., Kenner, La. Gift: $51,500 outright, with estate plans to contribute an additional $1 million Purpose: To establish the David K. Learned, M.D., Scholarship for medical students. His estate gift will augment the endowed scholarship fund. Though Learned grew up in a family in which no one had gone to college, he announced, at the age of 7, that he was going to be a doctor. He stuck with his plan and graduated from the KU School of Medicine in 1969. Learned recently received a surprise — a thank-you letter from the inaugural recipient of his scholarship, medical student Brandon Custer. “I am living almost entirely on student loans,” Custer wrote. “This makes your generous sponsorship even more appreciated and valuable to me. It will greatly alleviate some of the immense financial burden I will incur over the next year.” Why I Give: “I received a long handwritten letter today from a young man who got one of my first scholarships. He told me about himself and how helpful the scholarship was. That got at what I wanted this thing to do. It really meant something. “I hope the students who receive this scholarship eventually repay it, to keep it in perpetuity. I hope they will be the best physicians they can be and love their patients. They don’t have to publish papers or become world known. They just have to become good doctors who don’t just take care of a disease but take care of a human being.” — David Learned
Richard Paegelow
For a global KU Donors: Richard Paegelow, Glendale, Calif. Gift: $380,000 over the past 10 years Purpose: Primarily to benefit study abroad and international programs. Paegelow’s two undergraduate semesters in Costa Rica began a lifelong appreciation for international experience. He majored in Spanish and Latin American Area Studies. He won a Fulbright Scholarship for graduate study in Ecuador and earned a master’s degree in political science from KU. Today, he owns Inline Translation Services. He regularly provides scholarships for the Costa Rica Early Start program, which places students with host families in San Jose, Costa Rica, for four weeks before their official program begins. Students take intensive Spanish classes at the Escuela de Filología at the University of Costa Rica. The program prepares students to handle courses taught entirely in Spanish and benefit from the study abroad experience. In addition, Paegelow has provided additional funding for the Stansifer Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships for graduate students specializing in Middle America studies, and more recently scholarships for KU’s newly launched Global Scholars Program. Why I Give: “Over the years, especially the more recent years, I’ve really been using the Spanish and language skills in my job every day. I felt like it was such a worthwhile experience that I want to encourage other students to study abroad for a semester or two and have that immersion-type experience.” — Richard Paegelow