The Effect of Legacy

This story also was written as part of the 2022-2023 Impact Report.

A positive college experience benefits students long after graduation. Park University’s Class of 1964 is extending those benefits even further through a scholarship for new generations of students.

The idea for a scholarship arose from a conversation at the class’s 50th reunion in 2014. Reflecting on their lives since graduation, the attendees recognized that their diverse career successes and life paths had a common origin: a Park education.

“We have fond memories of Park,” said Jane Fehr, ’64, whose undergraduate degree in elementary education led to graduate studies in education and library science and a career as an academic librarian. “We wanted to give back.”

“A group of us started talking about the best way to do that,” said Randy Fehr, ’64, Jane’s husband. The Fehrs met as undergraduates at Park and married shortly after graduation. Randy earned a degree in economics and went on to a graduate program in higher education administration and a career as a financial officer in higher ed.

“We wanted to create something that would last, and we wanted to meet an ongoing need,” Randy said.

The Class of 1964 decided to create an endowment. The money they donated would remain in the fund in perpetuity, while the income earned from the fund would provide scholarship support to Park University students.

The Fehrs coordinated a giving campaign and within several months, the class raised $25,000 to establish an endowment fund. The initial donations to the endowment create ripple effects year after year. Since its creation, the Class of 1964 Scholarship has been awarded to seven students.

“There’s always a need for scholarships,” Randy said. “Scholarships help students and they help the University attract students.”

The class’s 60th reunion in 2024 will provide an opportunity to grow the endowment. The hope is that scholarship recipients will someday extend the benefits of their education to the next generation of students. In this way, Park’s impact on the Fehrs and their classmates will reach far into the future.

“We named it the Class of 1964 Scholarship so that other alumni might consider setting up a scholarship when they’re able,” Randy said. “This is something a group can do together.”

A gift of any size to an endowed scholarship fund has a lasting impact on Park students. Beyond the financial support, a scholarship is a vote of confidence in a student’s ability.

To learn more about endowing a scholarship, contact Jenny Keane at 816-584-6846 or jenny.keane@park.edu.