Category Archives: Donor Stories

SIU Credit Union continues support of Saluki Women’s Weekend

By Jeff Wilson

The third annual Saluki Women’s Weekend is Thursday, Sept. 19, through Saturday, Sept. 21.

Hosted by the SIU Foundation Women’s Leadership Council, the three-day affair will feature multiple events and many of SIU’s most inspiring female leaders. The council is a network of alumnae, parents, and friends committed to creating a culture of women-driven philanthropy at SIU and mentoring future generations of Salukis.

SIU Credit Union is a proud sponsor of the Women in Empowerment Conference Sponsor for the third annual Saluki Women’s Weekend on Friday, Sept. 20, at Morris Library.

“This is our third year being a sponsor of the Saluki Women’s Weekend. We love giving back to our community,” said Kim Babington, vice president of community outreach at SIU Credit Union. “This is a year of empowerment. It is a great function for all women to attend. There will be great speakers and great leaders from our area.”

The Women in Empowerment Conference will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. Check-in will be followed by breakfast and opening remarks. From there, topics will include artificial intelligence, health and wellness, career planning, philanthropy, and more. There will also be an expert panel discussion and Q&A session.

The Soar with Success: Saluki Women’s Reception will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Glenn Poshard Transportation Center at Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro. Check-in begins at 5 p.m., and the keynote speaker will be Erin Jackson, an SIU alumna and American Airlines pilot. There will also be the opportunity for aviation tours and exclusive networking opportunities.

The weekend will conclude with the Saluki Women Tailgating Experience before SIU plays SEMO on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Saluki Stadium. The tailgate will begin at 4 p.m. on Saluki Row, and the game begins at 6 p.m.

“The Saluki Women’s Weekend is a time for SIU alumnae and women business owners and community members to come together and showcase their incredible talents,” said Sherrica Hunt, the SIU Foundation’s assistant vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion. “The energy that these women bring to this event, our campus, and our society is inspiring. We want to share that with as many people as possible.”

For more details and a full list of speakers, visit siuf.org/salukiwomen.

Compardo, Moneta continue support of Saluki Women’s Weekend

By Jeff Wilson

Diane Compardo, SIU Foundation Board of Directors president and a proud 1992 alumna, is the Women in Empowerment Conference Sponsor for the third annual Saluki Women’s Weekend through her firm, Moneta, on Friday, Sept. 20, at Morris Library during the third annual Saluki Women’s Weekend.

She is also a member of the College of Business and Analytics Hall of Fame and the SIU Women’s Leadership Council. The council connects Saluki alumnae to current female students and offers guidance and mentorship as they study and prepare for life beyond college.

The Saluki Women’s Weekend begins on Thursday, Sept. 19, with the Saluki Women’s Reception from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Glenn Poshard Transportation Education Center at SI Airport. It continues from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, with the conference at Morris Library, and concludes with the Women’s Tailgating Experience from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saluki Row at Saluki Stadium before the SIU Football team takes on SEMO.

“SIU gave me an amazing opportunity – and I want to pay it forward to the women there today, ensuring they understand the many opportunities available to them,” Compardo said.

In recent years, Moneta has put an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Moneta’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council supports the company’s mission to “empower people to navigate life’s path and protect what they cherish.” The council aims to achieve this by continually striving for an equitable, inclusive culture that encourages valuing, respecting, and celebrating the differences of Moneta’s employees, clients, and all whom it encounters.

“I’m thrilled to invite you to the third annual Saluki Women’s Weekend,” Compardo said. “It is such an empowering event for women. Please come and enjoy the event and connect with all the amazing women who are already planning to attend.”

For more information about the Saluki Women’s Weekend, visit siuf.org/salukiwomen.

A Modest Life, A Monumental Legacy: The Quiet Generosity of Marilea Koch

Marilea Koch

Kathryn Sime, assistant vice chancellor for major & planned giving, reflects on her first solo donor meeting with SIU alumna and generous benefactor, Marilea Koch.

I met Marilea Koch (SIU, BS, 1952) in the fall of 2018. I was a new development officer for the SIU Foundation, primarily focused on working with alumni from the School of Education. Marilea was my first solo donor meeting, and I was so nervous walking up to the front door of her modest duplex in Salem, Illinois. She was a retired high school English and speech teacher, struggling with macular degeneration. While there was nothing in her home that would have hinted that Marilea could make a major gift to support Southern Illinois University, her 23 years of giving were an indicator of her deep love for SIU. At the end of our visit, I took a breath and bravely asked if she had ever considered leaving a planned gift to benefit SIU. She responded with a smile and said “I wondered if you would ask about that.”

Marilea explained that she had already included SIU in her estate plans in hopes of establishing a scholarship in memory of her parents. I worked with her on the language for the scholarship, and ultimately, we established the Edward and Elizabeth Ann Paddison Scholarship Endowment Fund. She declined to share an estimated amount for the scholarship, but did confirm that it would likely meet the minimum of $25,000 required for an endowment. I returned multiple times and kept in touch with Marilea. She never wanted any publicity for her gift commitment and continued to support her beloved SIU every year.

Marilea lived simply her entire life up until her death at 93 this past January. When her estate trustee, also an SIU alumnus, called me to confirm details of her estate gift, he shared that Marilea’s gift was indeed sufficient to meet the minimum endowment level, and in fact, would likely exceed $600,000 to provide scholarships for SIU students from Southern Illinois. In addition, Marilea’s quiet philanthropy included generous gifts to her church and local public library. Her incredible gift will support SIU students for generations. I am grateful to have known Marilea and thrilled by her generosity.

Learn how you can make a lasting legacy at SIU: siufgiving.org

SIU Simmons Law School unveils new name, honors donor

John Simmons (middle) cuts the ribbon Friday, Aug. 16, at the SIU Simmons Law School.

Support from $10M donation will help students, faculty

By Jeff Wilson

CARBONDALE – SIU Simmons Law School has a nice ring to it. Now it has a fresh look to match.

In February 2024, John and Jayne Simmons announced a $10 million gift to the law school, enhancing and expanding its educational offerings to students and opportunities to faculty. In honor of the donation, the SIU Board of Trustees voted to name the SIU Simmons Law School. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Aug. 16, the new name and signage were unveiled.

“This mission is aligned with my personal and professional value system,” said John Simmons, a member of the SIU Board of Trustees and founder of the Simmons Hanly Conroy law firm. “We are proud of this school and what it stands for. I owe a lot of my success to SIU and what it has given to my family. It has sent me on my way to success, expanded my world, my horizons, my view on life and my role in supporting my community.”

This historic gift – the largest SIU Carbondale has ever received – further cements Simmons’ legacy at SIU, which includes a $10.2 million commitment to the Simmons Cancer Institute at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. His most recent contribution comes as another major step in the Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign, which has raised more than $340 million toward its $500 million goal.

“This gift will allow all of our students and faculty to continue to imagine,” Chancellor Austin Lane said. “You can think about all of the things you’re going to get in this building that are going to take you from Southern Illinois into the world.”

Simmons, a native and resident of Alton, is an SIUE graduate and chairperson and founder of Simmons Hanly Conroy law firm. His support will help provide more access, services, and opportunities to students seeking educational opportunities at SIU Simmons Law School.

The law school is the alma mater of more than 180 local, state, and federal judges. It also has alumni practicing law in 48 states and more than 10 countries. It also features legal clinics that serve members of underrepresented communities and offer students real-world experience.

“Lending one’s name, one’s reputation to a school is a profound gesture,” said SIU Simmons Law School Acting Dean Angela Upchurch. “It intertwines their identity with the ongoing story and mission of that institution, and it creates an indelible impact on its faculty, students and staff.”

Simmons has served two stints on the SIU Board of Trustees, first from 2004 to 2015 and was appointed again in 2019 by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. He has previously functioned as the board’s secretary and chair. He earned his law degree from Southern Methodist University and previously served in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer.

In 1999, he founded Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest plaintiff’s law firms. The firm has dedicated the past 25 years to representing workers and families impacted by mesothelioma, a fatal and preventable asbestos-related cancer. Under his leadership, the firm expanded to new practice areas and now employs more than 250 people, including more than 80 attorneys, in offices across the country. Most recently, the firm successfully helped lead the national effort to hold manufacturers and distributors of prescription opiates accountable for the opioid epidemic. Firm employees have donated more than $1 million to local charities through the Simmons Employee Foundation and more than $20 million to cancer research nationwide.

Simmons Hanly Conroy has long been involved with SIU’s law school, providing internships, and employing its graduates.

“John is motivated by his core belief of giving back to the community to help improve and create a better life for others,” said SIU Board of Trustees Chair J. Phil Gilbert. “The contribution and investment in this law school will change lives by providing educational opportunities to anyone desiring a legal education … and will develop future leaders that make this world a better place in which to live.”

COBA alumnus donates $100K to endow scholarship

Brian Wilson celebrates his graduation outside SIU Arena in 1991, standing proudly with his parents, Cheryl and Lyle Wilson. Continuing the Saluki legacy, Brian follows in the footsteps of his parents, both SIU graduates, further solidifying the Wilson family’s deep connection to the university.

By Jeff Wilson

Brian Wilson headshot
Brian Wilson headshot

Brian Wilson has deep roots at SIU, and his decision to endow a $100,000 scholarship fund in the College of Business and Analytics only strengthens that connection.

Cheryl and Lyle Wilson on her graduation day in June 1966. Cheryl, who served as a resident assistant at Smith Hall until she married Lyle over Thanksgiving in 1965, joined her husband in Southern Hills’ married housing. Lyle received his Bachelor’s from SIU in 1964 and his Master’s in 1966. The Wilson family’s legacy at SIU runs deep, with 12 graduates across siblings, kids, nieces, and nephews.

“My mother and father met at SIU, and several other family members went there,” he said. “It was probably the first university I was exposed to as a kid.”

The Brian Wilson and Family Finance Scholarship Fund will benefit students from Southern Illinois who are studying finance and other business-related majors.

A Waterloo native, SIU was on the short list of possible universities for Wilson to attend, but the scholarship support he received his freshman year made the choice simple.

“That really clinched the deal for me and my parents,” he said. “I always thought that someday I would like to pay that back.”

Wilson had a typical college experience. He lived at Thompson Point and studied finance. He participated in intramural sports and played pickup basketball at the Student Recreation Center. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1991.

“I enjoyed the experience all around – the academics, the social life, the campus, everything. It was very positive,” he said.

After SIU, Wilson earned a master’s degree from the University of Miami and took a job with Ryder System. Over a 15-year career with Ryder, he worked in Miami, Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, and Singapore. He was then recruited into the world of private equity and is now the chief financial officer in North America for Barentz, a Dutch chemical distributor.

Today, he and his wife, Kris, live in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and have two adult children who make their homes in the Chicago area.

“It all started back with the finance education at SIU,” he said.

His SIU and professional experience intersected when fellow Saluki, Chuck Lounsbury, became senior vice president for supply chain solutions at Ryder System in the early 2000s.

Brian Wilson continuing his family’s Saluki legacy at SIU, pictured here in Smith Hall, 1990.

As a student, Wilson had heard of Lounsbury from his professors. Lounsbury, a 1965 SIU graduate and member of the COBA Hall of Fame, had an illustrious career in the business world.

Recently, Lounsbury made a $500,000 donation to establish the Charles and Barbara Lounsbury Endowed Scholarship in the College of Business and Analytics.

“Chuck Lounsbury ended up working two offices down from me, and we got to know each other and shared memories of SIU,” Wilson said. “I saw an article about his gift in the SIU Alumni Association magazine, and it sparked interest in me to go ahead and fulfill my plan to repay my scholarship.”

Beyond financially supporting SIU students, Wilson hopes his scholarship helps drive the college and SIU forward.

“I want to do whatever I can to help the school continue to attract the best students and professors and allow more people the opportunity to get their education from SIU’s College of Business and Analytics,” he said.

To learn more about making a similar gift, visit siuf.org.

Larson donates $25K to help forestry students

By Jeff Wilson

Eric Larson always enjoyed being in and around nature.

Growing up on a farm in Wyanet, Illinois, it was that passion that led him to choose Southern Illinois University Carbondale over the University of Illinois.

“I knew since I was about 10 years old that I wanted to be a forester,” he said. “There are not many trees around U of I. Southern Illinois was the perfect place for me. I fell in love with it.”

That decision began a journey that led Larson from SIU, to East Texas, to Tennessee, to Wisconsin, and back to Southern Illinois. He recently donated $25,000 to establish the Eric Larson Forestry Scholarship Endowment Fund.

“Through the years, I realized how much I learned at SIU,” Larson said. “At first, I didn’t know if I was going to be financially successful. As it turned out, I did pretty well and wanted to give back.”

While attending SIU, Larson was a member of the Forestry Club and enjoyed several field trips, including treks to Missouri and Gulfport, Mississippi. He spent a summer in Oregon after his junior year working for the Bureau of Land Management.

“After graduating high school with a class of about 20 students, it was great to blend in with students from around the world,” he said. “I was fortunate to have great instructors, and these field trips awakened my interest in forestry. It was worth seeing things in action more than just reading about them in a book.”

Photo of Eric Larson as an SIU student.

After graduating from SIU in 1969, he earned a master’s degree from Texas A&M and began working in the forest industry helping manage 600,000 acres of timberland in East Texas.

“Then I started my own business working for non-industrial landowners. I advised them and did things like planting trees, controlled burning, timber sales, and I marked individual trees to be removed, made inventories, wrote sales contracts, and I looked after logging jobs. I did the whole gamut,” he said. “It was a lot of hard work, but I always enjoyed being in nature.”

He also bought some timberland and practiced what he learned in school on his own property. Later, he had jobs with the state government in Tennessee and with a lumber company in Wisconsin.

Larson hopes his scholarship fund in the School of Forestry and Horticulture will invigorate the next generation of passionate foresters.

“I hope it encourages students to stick with it,” he said. “When I was going to school, it wasn’t always easy paying the bills, and I was more fortunate than most. This is just another tool to help them achieve their goals.”

Dr. Karl Williard, director of the School of Forestry and Horticulture, said Larson’s gift will make an impact on students through scholarships and supporting camps, which immerse students in forest and park management issues in other regions, including the Southeastern, Northeastern, and Western United States.

“This endowed scholarship is critical to future Saluki Foresters to support them in their academic journey and to lower the cost of participating in our Summer Field Camp, which is such a formative part of our student’s training,” he said.

To learn more about how to make a similar gift, visit siuf.org.

Morefield scholarship fund powered by planned gift

Eclipses reconnect donors to campus, region

Kevin and Denise Morefield watch the solar eclipse in Australia in 2023.

By Jeff Wilson

Between the two total solar eclipses that crossed over the Southern Illinois University campus, Kevin and Denise Morefield made an astronomical impact of their own – a generous planned gift to establish the Morefield Opportunities Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Established in 2021, the scholarship fund benefits Murphysboro graduates in need of a financial boost.

“Our scholarship is about helping others have the same opportunity I had,” Kevin said. “My choice to attend SIU changed my life profoundly, so we decided to pay that forward to others.”

The Morefield’s planned gift is a bequest, which means they have indicated the amount they will direct to SIU through their estate plan. They also decided to partially fund the scholarship while they’re both still living.

“Planned giving is a worry-free and easy way to give back. The endowment will keep giving in perpetuity with funds that, by definition, we didn’t need,” Kevin said. “After making the decision to contribute, I found myself thinking often about the lives the scholarship would affect. That led us to start early and partially fund the scholarship so we could see some of the impact in our lifetime.”

Kevin, a graduate of Murphysboro High School, received his bachelor’s degree from SIU in cinema and photography in 1985. That passion for photography has led him around the globe chasing eclipses. As fate would have it, that trek has brought him back to SIU twice, once in 2017 and again in 2024.

Photo by Kevin Morefield: Capturing the first and second diamond ring during the total solar eclipse across Southern Illinois on Monday, April 8, 2024.

“This was my eighth total solar eclipse. I have witnessed them in the outback of Australia, the polar Arctic, an atoll in the South Pacific, the Atacama Desert in Chile, and in Antarctica,” he said. “For there to be two over my hometown and alma mater is mindboggling and truly unique.”

After witnessing the grandeur of solar eclipses worldwide, the opportunity to be part of two so close to home was particularly powerful.

Kevin and Denise Morefield are pictured with Kevin’s mother, Betty Morefield (left), celebrating the 2024 eclipse at PK’s.

“The way SIU embraced these events is heartwarming. Eclipses always bring together a diverse group of people all with a common goal. That kind of broad feeling of community is rare and should be treasured,” Kevin said. “If someone had told me back in 1984 that 40 years later, I would be having a beer at PKs while everyone talked about total solar eclipses, I would not have believed it!”

To learn more about making a planned gift, visit siufgiving.org.

Technical Service Center naming honors Missavage’s legacy

Family honors longtime director, professor with $500K gift

Ribbon Cutting (Left to Right) John Brajkovich, Dennis Missavage (Brother of Roger Missavage), Dean Liu, Arlene Liss (Sister of Roger), Gene Liss (Arlene’s Husband and Brother-In-Law of Roger), and Jason Fairfield

By Jeff Wilson

Roger J. Missavage, a longtime professor at Southern Illinois University, was an outstanding faculty of the College of Engineering. He was director of the Computer Assisted Instruction & Research Laboratory for 29 years.

When Roger passed away in November 2021 at age 71, his brother Dennis Missavage, and sister and brother-in-law, Arlene and Gene Liss, established the Roger J. Missavage Endowed Fund for Engineering Education with a $500,000 gift in Roger’s memory.

Xiaoqing “Frank” Liu, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics

On April 19, 2024, Xiaoqing “Frank” Liu, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics, hosted a dedication of the Roger J. Missavage Technical Service Center. The center will bolster information technology initiatives within the college.

“This is an exciting moment for this college,” Liu said. “Technology is the foundation of our college. The funds from this endowment will cover the technological needs of this college. Our students, faculty, and staff will benefit from this endowment in a significant way.”

Roger Missavage, a Herrin, Illinois, native, graduated from SIU in 1978 with a degree in engineering and added a master’s degree in mining engineering in 1991. He taught multiple courses at SIUC, including mechanics of rigid bodystatics, mechanics of rigid bodies-dynamics, rock mechanics principles and design, and analysis and design of mine excavations. He was also a Professional Engineer, which requires licensure from a state board of registration to practice engineering. He provided outstanding information technology support to the college for a long time.

John Brajkovich, director of the Roger J. Missavage Technical Service Center, gave a tour of the facility.

John Brajkovich, who will manage the Roger J. Missavage Technical Service Center, was a student worker for Missavage and a former colleague.

“He was just a guy who would help you with anything you needed,” he said at the dedication. “He would make loans to students if they were having problems. Anything he could do to help. A very charitable man. A very giving man.”

Liu credited Roger Missavage with being influential in many of the college’s advancements in information technology and facility and philanthropic support.

“The Roger J. Missavage Technical Service Center will permanently establish Roger’s legacy at our college and SIU,” he said.

Dennis documents eclipse, connects with scholarship recipients

Left to right: Robert Dennis, Dorcas Brou and Ethan Grimm

By Jeff Wilson

Robert Dennis ’84 embarked on a unique journey to capture the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

His decision to travel to SIU for the eclipse was motivated by both professional and personal reasons. Invited to participate in the Dynamic Eclipse Broadcast Initiative, Dennis seized the opportunity to witness the eclipse on campus, reconnect with SIU, and engage with students who have benefited from scholarships he has established.

“Several locations were considered, but Carbondale was the obvious choice … to experience the event on campus, come home so-to-speak, and visit with students in my old stomping grounds,” he said.

Equipped with an arsenal of photography gear, he immersed himself in the eclipse photography experience. Describing the thrill of the clear skies during the eclipse, Dennis was excited to photograph such a phenomenon at his alma mater.

“It was a bit overwhelming at times,” he said. “You could feel the crowd’s excitement like electricity in the air.”

Connecting with Scholarship Recipients

During the eclipse, Dennis connected with scholarship recipients Ethan Grimm and Dorcas Brou, sharing memorable moments and capturing a selfie together. Through interactions with students throughout the event, Dennis witnessed their enthusiasm and dedication to their craft.

“I shared my work on the day with many of the CAM (College of Arts and Media) students,” Dennis said. “It was a true pleasure to engage in their enthusiasm as they worked on the production.”

Dennis hopes that scholarship recipients will remember the privilege of witnessing such a rare astronomical phenomenon and be inspired to give back to their university.

“I encourage each recipient to reach back to the school during their careers … to bring others along to share in their success, and give back often,” Dennis said.

Beyond the eclipse, Dennis remains committed to supporting scholarship recipients throughout the year. From phone conversations to social media interactions, he maintains a connection with students, offering guidance and mentorship.

Clubhouse 145 donates $3,500 to the Dawg Pound

Clubhouse 145 presents check for $3,500 to the Dawg Pound.
From left: Emma Buesing, Dawg Pound executive vice president, Malayna Russell, Dawg Pound vice president of gameday operations, Jacob Bryant, vice president of gameday operations, Sean Cooney, Dawg Pound advisor, Jacob Vezensky, Office of Student Engagement graduate assistant, Zipper Brandhorst, Clubhouse 145 member, Tyler Lawrence, outgoing Dawg Pound chief of operations, Dylan Chambers, outgoing Dawg Pound president, Corey Crombar, Dawg Pound president-elect, Steve Falat, Clubhouse 145 member, Rick Runge, Clubhouse 145 member, Jolene Falat, Clubhouse 145 member, Tim Leonard, SIU athletic director, Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations, and Byron Hetzler, Clubhouse 145 member, pose for a photo in the Banterra Center.

By Jeff Wilson

Saluki fans are good at lots of things, but for Clubhouse 145 the main three are cheering on the Dawgs, keeping the party going after the game, and giving back to the university.

The group recently donated $3,500 to the Dawg Pound. Last year, it donated $3,000 to the Balancing Education, Experience, and Reality (B.E.E.R.) Scholarship.

Clubhouse 145, named after the Banterra Center parking space at which they congregate after Saluki football and basketball games, has become a tradition like no other. Started a few years ago by Mike Austin, Rick Runge, Zipper Brandhorst, and Steve Falat, members of the group enjoy a cocktail and some Saluki pride after the games. Many others have become regulars at Clubhouse 145.

“It’s grown beyond our initial expectations,” said Falat. “Our goal is to have fun and show support for SIU and Saluki Athletics.”

Anyone is welcome to join the party, and the group accepts donations during their after-game gatherings. Of course, it takes regular participation to become an official member of Clubhouse 145, which includes branded hats and polos.

The support for the Dawg Pound comes at a moment when the registered student organization is more involved than ever before. Led by SIU senior Dylan Chambers, the Dawg Pound has become the largest RSO on campus. Chambers, who will graduate in May and is a member of Clubhouse 145, is handing the reins over to new Dawg Pound President Corey Crombar.

“Seeing this kind of support just shows how special the SIU community is,” said Crombar, an SIU freshman and Carbondale Community High School graduate. “It’s going to help greatly with travel expenses, giveaways, shirts, and so much more. We’re so thankful to Clubhouse 145.”

The Dawg Pound presents Clubhouse 145 with a lifetime membership.

Chambers also presented the members of Clubhouse 145 with an Honorary Lifetime Membership to the Dawg Pound.