Now is the time
Rob Stohlman and Vanda White created a lasting impact at K-State by making current and future gifts to support graduate researchers of American military history.
When you think of “team,” do you envision uniformed K-State Wildcats? Rob Stohlman and Vanda White make a great team and K-State partners. This past summer, they worked with K-State to create a blended gift supporting graduate researchers of American military history.
“I am a firm believer in giving back and knew what I could have used as a grad student…making trips to the Pentagon and National Archives on my own dime,” said Rob.
Together, they established the Robert F. Stohlman, Jr. and Vanda R. White American Military History Graduate Research Support Fund at K-State.
Creating the research award
Though Vanda does not have a K-State degree, she is an important stakeholder in creating the research award. She named K-State as the beneficiary of her IRA, and plans to use qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from her IRA once she turns 70½ to fund Rob’s dream of supporting American military history research and K-State.
Vanda and Rob at New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia.
Why American military history?
Rob, a soldier’s son, grew up in the U.S., Japan and France. After earning his undergraduate degree, he moved to K-State to begin his master’s degree in American military history. Through influential relationships with people like former Kansas historian Homer Socolofsky, professor Don Mrozek and Col. Arthur Wade, he found an academic home at K-State.
Raised in West Virginia, Vanda attended William & Mary to study mathematics. She met Rob as their sons moved through Boy Scouts in Maryland. After their sons finished scouting, Rob and Vanda’s friendship grew — connected by a shared love of history — until they eloped to Hawaii in 2010.
Together, they’ve navigated Vanda’s breast cancer, combining families and administering Vanda’s father’s and siblings’ estates. As COVID spread, and with an appreciation of the brevity of life, they accelerated putting their estate plan in order, connected with the KSU Foundation’s planned giving team and created this gift to K-State.
Interested in supporting K-State in your estate plan? Contact your Gift Planning team at 785-775-2000 or giftoptions@ksufoundation.org.
“If it wasn’t for COVID-19, we would have put off this [planned gift to K-State]. COVID has driven this decision.”
— Vanda White, K-State Supporter