A legacy of love for Washburn athletics
Gift creates largest athletic scholarship fund in school history
Nancy Erwin, sister of Dorothy Reichart, is proud of her sister and brother-in-law’s decision to support students like Emily Gamble.
A planned gift from two lifelong sports fans is ensuring that one couple's passion for athletics and education will live on in an endowed scholarship. The fund will provide support for future Washburn student-athletes.
Washburn received an estate gift of more than $1.4 million from Dorothy Reichart. This gift was designated to the previously established Jerry W. Reichart Athletic Scholarship Fund, created in memory of Jerry Reichart, ba '50, by his late wife, Dorothy.
"Washburn Athletics was so much a part of Jerry and Dorothy's life," says Nancy Erwin, Dorothy's sister. "Dorothy wanted to honor Jerry through this scholarship fund so that future student-athletes could have the same opportunities Jerry had."
Jerry and Dorothy met while attending Washburn. Jerry was an all-conference lineman on the football team and was inducted in the Washburn Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987.
"We are honored Dorothy chose Washburn as the recipient of this generous estate gift," says Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek, president of the Washburn University Foundation. "This creates a meaningful, lasting legacy to her and Jerry's lives."
Making an Impact
Emily Gamble, Omaha, Nebraska, received a scholarship from the fund when she transferred to Washburn in 2014 to play basketball. Without an athletic scholarship, she wouldn't have left her home state to attend Washburn.
"I was encouraged from a very young age to play basketball and really work for a scholarship because my parents couldn't afford for me to go to college," Emily says.
Emily had the opportunity to meet Dorothy's sister and learn about Jerry and Dorothy's story. She says she never realized that many athletic scholarships come from endowed gifts.
"I thought it was really great what they [the Reicharts] have done for the program," Emily says. "To be a part of that and see how much they actually cared about the program was really cool. I wouldn't be here if I didn't have this scholarship. I'm so thankful for the opportunity."
Contact contact Erin Aldridge at 785.670.4483 or PlannedGiving@wualumni.org to explore how to change students' lives.
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