As the first college student in his immediate family, Wes Houser graduated from Kansas State University in 1963 with a business administration degree. Wes and Jan Houser consider supporting Kansas and community a priority, and one way they’ve done this is through a planned gift to K-State. More

Tim and Lisa Oswalt created the Oswalt Family Leadership Scholarship with a bequest in their will to support K-State juniors and seniors. More

Thanks to Dr. Robert and Virginia Schneider, a piece of western Oklahoma land has been invested to endow scholarships for Kansas State University students in the College of Agriculture. More

Jack Wiley hasn't missed a K-State home football game since 1989. "I have always been a huge K-State fan and supporter," he says. More

When love and memory are woven into philanthropy, the strongest threads are often family. Wanting to honor his wife, Janet, Dick Rees donated many of Janet's 1950s and 60s business and party attire to Kansas State University's Historic Costume and Textile Museum. More

Camaraderie fills the workshop as the Kansas State University quarter-scale tractor team shares stories with Carl and Melinda Helwig. The Helwigs, a couple from Columbus, Kansas, have invested in the team, which now carries their name — the Helwig Farms Quarter-Scale Tractor Team. More

Deb Shuck '84 leaves no doubt about her love for Kansas State University. Having logged countless study hours in Hale Library's stacks, graduating in accounting from the College of Business Administration and cheering for the Cats over many seasons, Deb's K-State experience spans decades and the campus she loves. More

As a farm boy coming of age in Hays, Kansas, during the late 1950s and 60s, Roger Kinderknecht loved the prairie. On his family's farm, he learned to think on his feet, value hard work and allow curiosity to root deeply. More

After Jim Buchheister earned his undergraduate degree from Kansas State University in 1977, he and his wife established their home in Manhattan, Kansas, K-State's hometown. The Buchheisters raised their family and cultivated community on and off campus by actively engaging university students as friends and mentees. More

Within moments of talking with John and Nancy Blackwell, you'll know they like to have fun. But the Blackwells have a serious side, too — they are serious about helping students complete their education at Kansas State University. More

Brian Paulson is giving back to K-State with a charitable remainder unitrust. His gift will support the alumni association, K-State athletics and K-State. More

Rich Porter discovered a simple way to give back. Rich's gifts of grain will help future K-State students afford a K-State education. More

Kurt and Kristen Thompson named the KSU Foundation a beneficiary of their life insurance policy to support future students K-State. The Thompsons say giving back to their alma mater is gratifying. More

Russell and Nancy Reinert understand the importance of completing your college degree. It's why they created a scholarship for senior and graduate accounting students — to help them finish strong. More

John Niemann's first year at Kansas State University was 1989, the same year Bill Snyder began coaching K-State football. Much has changed since then. More

Paul and Sharon Coley are giving to K-State to honor military families and the performing arts — both priorities the Coleys say they're passionate about. More

Bev and Rod Nash are providing support for future mechanical engineers at K-State. More

Tim Oswalt says a scholarship he and his wife, Lisa, created at K-State, "is a is a way to help other young leaders continue their personal development." More

Ray Navarro started giving to K-State long ago and has never stopped. He says it gives him purpose. More

K-State alums and siblings Dr. Vera May Ellithorpe and Glenn Ellithorpe created a scholarship with a gift to their alma mater that supports students when they need it most. More

An innovative program in the College of Engineering inspired one K-State graduate to include a gift in his estate plan to support computer science students. More

For Zeta Schippel Crowther, a Kansas native raised on a large farm, few things were more important than caring for animals and nature. Crowther ensured her priorities were reflected in her will before her death in 2012. More

Carolyn and Ray Waller found a way to benefit future K-State students while helping themselves through retirement with a charitable gift annuity. More

Lisa and David Rock have established a scholarship through a gift in their will and a charitable gift annuity in hopes that it will help students make their own special memories at K-State. More

Wildcats worldwide are making a difference by investing in areas of K-State that mean the most to them. One such supporter is Leon “Red” Skelton who recently created a scholarship for the K-State Marching Band through a gift in his will. More

Judith Roye recently included a gift in her will to benefit K-State’s Perpetual Pet Care Program that will ensure lifelong health and happiness for her four-legged friends. More

For Brad Chilcoat ’84, making a difference at K-State means supporting undergraduate student research in the Department of History through a research award for upperclassmen working on a research project. More

Jesse and Lindsay Keeler’s 2013 wedding prompted the young couple to create an estate plan that ensures their future and leaves a legacy at K-State. More

K-State alumni Jane and KelLee Parr honored their parents' commitment to education by creating a memorial scholarship that will help students. More

A chance encounter with a professor during Susan Herbel's first year at K-State was the beginning of a lifelong friendship — and led Herbel to create a scholarship to honor her mentor and friend. More

The son of career teachers has left a legacy at K-State to ensure that a quality education for future teachers is within reach. More

Whether a fourth-generation K-Stater or a first-generation college graduate, there's a story behind each student earning a Kansas State University diploma this spring. These are stories of perseverance, passion and community. More

Charles W. Pence graduated from Kansas State University's College of Agriculture in 1938. Thanks to his son, future students will be able to study agriculture at K-State as well. More

Gene Ratcliff was a geology student at Kansas State University in 1955, when firsthand exposure to western rock formations required teaming up with other universities. With help from Gene and his classmates, professor Henry Beck changed all that. More

More than 70 percent of K-State students receive some form of financial aid, and for many a scholarship represents the difference between staying in school or going home. Marie Feldpausch found herself in this situation. More

"Previous generations before us had a vision and that's how the university started. The previous generations gave us opportunities, so if we don't look after generations after us, what opportunities would they have? If we don't do it now, who will?" asks Laurel Erickson. More

Aaron Otto '98 embraced his college experience with gusto, joining a fraternity and getting involved in student government. It doesn't come as a surprise then that the scholarships he has created are to be awarded to students involved in extracurricular activities. More

"What was your life about? Did you impact people?" Those are the two questions Ross Stryker says were central to the decision he and his wife, Mary, made to include gifts in their wills to reinforce their top three priorities on campus. More

Higher education helped Bill Talley pull through one of life's most difficult challenges. Now, he and wife Louan are paying it forward. More

Kansas State University is more than the place where Mel Stout learned about landscape architecture. More

When Kevin and Cheryl Lockett started the Lock-ett Up Foundation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, they wanted to emphasize youth literacy. More

Like many other planned giving donors, Dallas couple Gordon and Joyce Goering plan to use their will to add funds to the scholarship they established in 1986 and help even more K-State students beyond their lifetimes. More