MCAD DONOR PROFILE
MCAD MAGAZINE Published for alumni, donors, and friends. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Grathwol Olson MANAGING EDITOR Courtney Algeo CONTRIBUTING EDITORS & WRITERS Jay Gabler / Morgan Halaska / Holly Harrison Elizabeth Foy Larsen / Carleen Pieper Mason Riddle / Lara Roy / Regan Smith Andy Steiner / Phyllis Ware ART DIRECTORS Brian Donahue, Principal, bedesign, inc. Brent Meyers ’97, Director, MCAD DesignWorks
A Legacy of Good Design
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS & DESIGNERS Patrick Kelly ’06 / Brian Mueller ’12 / Bill Rebholz ’12 / Nicole Summers ’10 / Brian Wahlberg ’11
Renowned interior designer Tom Gunkelman’s generosity to MCAD lives on.
illustration by Bill Rebholz ’12
W
hether a can opener in his kitchen, a typeface on a business card, or one of the stunning interiors he designed for homes and businesses across the United States, the late Tom Gunkelman always made sure that his choices supported good design. Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Gunkelman burst onto the Twin Cities interior design scene in 1976, when he moved his firm, Gunkelman’s Interior Design, to a storefront on the Nicollet Mall. His success was recognized by House Beautiful magazine, which named him as one of the “Top 100 Designers in America” three times. A friend of Minneapolis College of Art and Design for more than twenty years, Gunkelman began his involvement at the college as a volunteer with the MCAD Associates, a group of boosters and fundraisers. When his close friend and colleague Gaylord Benson — a graphic designer and MCAD graduate — passed away at a young age in 1994, Gunkelman wanted to make sure that other promising young designers would have access to an MCAD education.
ADVANCEMENT STAFF Joan Grathwol Olson, Vice President of Institutional Advancement / Brian Gioielli, Director of Major and Alumni Giving / Cindy Theis, Director of Development / Cheryl Wolken, Advancement Services Coordinator / Kristine Wyant, Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations
Gunkelman established the Gaylord Benson Merit Scholarship to achieve that purpose. “Tom believed in providing opportunities for young people,” says Cindy Theis, MCAD Development Director. “He wanted to help people’s careers in the creative community and liked making sure there were no financial barriers for talented students.” He supported the scholarship for fifteen years before he died last May at the age of 81. Before his death, Gunkelman made a provision in his estate that the Gaylord Benson Merit Scholarship would be permanently endowed at MCAD to ensure that financial opportunities will be available for MCAD students in design. Thanks to his long view of generosity toward the arts, Gunkelman’s legacy will live on for generations to come, and the scholarship will continue to be awarded. Once the estate closes, plans are underway to change the name of the endowed award to the Tom Gunkelman/Gaylord Benson Merit Scholarship. “The continuance and support of good design was so important to Tom,” says Brad Shark, a friend and colleague. “He wanted to make sure that it continued when he was gone.” –E.F.L.
> For more information on endowed scholarship funds or how to make an estate gift,
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Janet Groenert ’79, President / Emily Taylor ’00, Vice President / Mike Keefe ’86, President Emeritus / Abigail Allan ’08 / Keith Braafladt ’86 / Joe Cecere ’92 / Jan Elftmann ’84 / Kerri Jamison ’02 / Gary Springer ’63 / Hilary Bullock ’89 / Justin Clifton ’00 / Boriana Mintcheva-Strzok ’08 / Deb Beck ’07 / Jake Szymanski ’10 / Julie Sirek ’10 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Bruce Bean, Chair / Mary Lazarus, Vice Chair Kevin Bennett / Leslie Berkshire / Uri Camarena Anne Cashill ’83 / Nathan Davis / Andrew Dayton / Miles Fiterman / John Lindahl Monica Little ’78 / Mitzi Magid / Betsy Massie David E. Moore, Jr. / Clinton H. Morrison Mauro Porcini / Howard Rubin / Julie Snow D. Robert Teslow II / Bill Thorburn ’84 LIFE TRUSTEES Bruce Bean / Cy DeCosse ’52 / Clinton Morrison TRUSTEES BY VIRTUE OF OFFICE Jay Coogan, President / Janet Groenert ’79, President, Alumni Association Board of Directors
contact Cindy Theis at 612.874.3777 or ctheis@mcad.edu.
mcad / spring 2012