PSU Magazine Winter 1998

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION TO DONORS G ifts, pledges total record $8 million With a dramatic increase in gifts and pledges, PSU alumni and friends gave 1 9 9 6 - 9 7 Two specialgifts highlight memorableyear for PSU the University a great vote of confi- .------------,,.,.,.......-------------, dence in 1996-97. Joining individual alumni and friends in the record-setting gen– erosity were parents, corporations, foundations, and University faculty and staff. In all, PSU received a record $5 million in gifts-nearly double the previous year's total-and another $3 million in pledges. The total includes a $1-million gift from Peter and Julie Stott, whose gift benefited The Campaign for PSU Athletics. The Gertrude F. Rempfer Endowed Chair in Physics and the University Studies undergraduate cur- riculum program were also beneficiaries of significant gifts. In addition, a $1-mil– lion pledge was received from Keren Brown Wilson and Michael OeShane for the Urban Center project following the conclusion of the fiscal year. "It takes a whole community to achieve these stunning results," said Gary Withers, vice president for University Relations. "We are gratefu l to each donor and every member of the PSU fami ly." One powerful incentive for gifts from first-time donors and larger gifts from past donors was the Thomas Elliott Challenge. As a result of the Challenge, gifts to the Annual Fund, including the President's Associates program, rose 17 percent from 1995-96. You might think that a man who gave Portland State a million dollars, its largest gift ever, was born accustomed to wealth. Not so. One of the reasons Peter W. Stott became a student at the Park Blocks is that PSU was the only college he could afford to attend. When Peter was working his way through Portland State, he started a com– pany called Market Transport. He had $90 in cash, borrowed another $450 from an individual, and got a loan on his life insurance in order to buy the first truck for his fledgling company. Continued on page 2 C:re. For PSU alumni Keren Brown Wilson and Michael DeShane, what matter most of all is care. Keren and Michael, both Ph.O.s from the College of Urban and Public Affairs, have made careers out of the innovative delivery of care for the elderly. Through the publicly owned Assisted Living Concepts and privately owned Concepts in Community Living (of which Keren and Michael are, respectively, founders and presidents), they have pioneered the development of residential assisted living facilities for the elderly. Continued on page 2