FOUNDATION COMMISSIONS DON GREYTAK PRINT

In September, 2022, the MSU-Northern Foundation Board voted to approve funding to commission a Don Greytak pencil art piece that would depict life at Northern. Don, now 86 years young, agreed to take on the project. Don began by having a meeting with the foundation staff to determine exactly what he would depict. The goal was to capture three timeless elements every Northern alumnus would instantly recognize. After several meetings and numerous photos taken by Don, everyone agreed that the three elements should be Cowan Hall (the most iconic and recognizable building on campus), the Goose (a 1940 convertible used in every parade), and a homecoming king and queen.

After Don had worked up several generic sketches, the staff agreed on one that clearly depicted those three. But there was one more request to add a fourth timeless element, by having Chancellor Greg Kegel driving the Goose. When Don requested archived photographs of a homecoming king and queen so he could render them accurately, the photos also had Chancellor Kegel in them. In November, Don began drawing in earnest, and by December he came to show the completed work. It was perfect and required no modifications.

By this time, the foundation staff knew they wanted to unveil the print at the “We Love Northern Ball” on February 11, 2023. The plan was to recognize Don for his work and have Chancellor Kegel and his wife, Sherry, unveil it in front of an excited crowd of people. Then, the first five numbered prints (in the limited edition of 500 prints), would then be auctioned off.

The key to this was keeping the drawing under wraps until that night. The only people allowed to see it were the University Relations office (since they had to photograph it to show on the screen at the Ball) and the frame shop at Ben Franklin that mounted it. Once people knew the work was finished, many wanted to see it but were told it was to remain secret until the Ball.

When Greg and Sherry Kegel unveiled the print, entitled “Homecoming”, on stage in front of 210 people, the reaction was largely positive. It was Sherry who recognized the driver as her husband, exclaiming, “It’s the Chancellor driving the Goose!” The crowd then gave Don Greytak a standing ovation for his work. When the first five numbered prints were auctioned off, the first one sold for $2,200. While the next four sold by lesser amounts, within 10 minutes the auction was over and had raised $7,200 for scholarships.

The foundation will now get to work selling the remaining prints in the limited series for $50 each. The prints are 11x14 inches and can be purchased at the Foundation office in Cowan Hall. People can also order a print via mail. Visit msunfoundation.org for details.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Don Greytak grew up as a Montana farm boy, making his living as a rancher, a pilot, a designer-builder of horse and stock trailers, and a metal sculptor. Since 1978, the self-taught artist has worked as a full-time pencil illustrator, taking his inspiration from the richness of his Montana high plains roots. He has the extraordinary ability to capture what is real and to find the spark of humor in down-to-earth situations. His multi-dimensional subject matter includes farming, ranching, airplanes, trains, classic and antique vehicles, rodeo and family scenes. Each piece shows people at work or play. Each tells a story, conveying an emotion, not merely the visual details of stationary objects. The work comes alive and you will find yourself entering the scenes with your own personal recollections. The offset lithograph prints are done in an edition of only 500, individually hand-signed and numbered by the artist, making them truly limited editions. Because the originals are done in graphite, all the prints are black-and-white images. Many of his originals are for sale, both online and in the Old City Library Gallery in Havre, Montana. His originals sell from $750-$5,000. His website is dongreytak.com

Dear MSU Northern Foundation, I have just received a letter stating that I got a scholarship.

Dear Edwin D. Wagner scholarship committee, I am writing to thank you for the generous scholarship that I received. This money will help me out tremendously in affording school and reaching my goal of becoming a physical therapist. Again, thank you for your generosity and support; I look forward to continuing my academic and athletic career here at MSUN.

Dear MSU-Northern Foundation, Thank you for selecting me for the MSU-Northern Foundation scholarship, as well as the Lula May Clay Endowed Scholarship. These will allow me to focus more on my academic studies. It was an honor to be selected. Thank you.

Central to our mission is to grow the number of perpetual gifts that support MSU-Northern. Planned gifts are a vital part of the philanthropy that helps increase opportunities at Northern and provide stability to our scholarship offerings. By helping to reduce the financial burden faced by students today, they can focus on earning their degree. If you would like to learn more about planned giving, but don’t know where to start you can set up a meeting with Al Garver, Executive Director of the Foundation.

Learn more at: msunfoundation.org/planned-giving-options