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Gifted
The University of Arizona FoundationGenerations of Giving
GiftedGifted is a publication of the University of Arizona
Foundation that celebrates donors and the ways their
generosity benefits specific areas of the University of
Arizona. This issue spotlights those friends of the University
whose families have given of their time, talents and
treasures over multiple generations. The donors’ stories are
followed by examples of the great things happening today
within the areas they support.PublisherJames H. Moore, Jr.President & CEO
Associate PublisherMark Harlan Senior Vice PresidentCentral Development
Executive EditorJohn C. BrownDirector Communications & Marketing
EditorLisa Lucas Assistant DirectorCommunications & Marketing
DesignPam Stone – Day Nite Design
PhotographyDS PhotographyWill Seberger
CoverThe multi-generational supporters of the University of Arizona featured in this issue of Gifted help to ensure the institution remains strong and competitive.
Gifted is published by the University of Arizona Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that has supported excellence at the University of Arizona since 1958. Please send all correspondence to [email protected] or call 520-621-5581.
uafoundation.org
ContentsMansfeld DescendentsNo one can claim a longer tradition of supporting the University of Arizona than the descendents of Jacob S. Mansfeld.
Donor ProfileDescendents of UA’s first Regent, Jacob S. Mansfeld, share why this Wildcat family considers philanthropy – and education – a way of life.
Program ProfilePrivate gifts help to fund graduate assistants in the University Libraries, providing opportunities for students to translate theory from the classroom into real life experiences.
Boice FamilyFred and Ann Boice were raised in families with ties to the University of Arizona, and have maintained those relationships by supporting a wide spectrum of University programs and scholarships.
Donor ProfileWildcat pride runs through several generations in the Boice family – all five of Fred’s and Ann’s children have attended the University.
Program ProfileThrough the College of Education’s Project SOAR, UA students reach out to local middle-school students and encourage them to consider higher education as a real possibility.
Groseta FamilyFather-daughter alumni Andy and Katy Groseta were raised on philanthropy and believe in the mantra, “You give back to the people who got you there.”
Donor ProfileAndy Groseta and his oldest daughter, Katy Groseta, are dedicated to supporting their alma mater, the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Program ProfileWhen young alumni, like Katy Groseta, support the UA, they pave the way for other students to pursue their dreams of higher education.
Navarrette and Martin Families Sisters Elena Navarrette and Patricia Preciado Martin, and their families, are passionate about helping Hispanic students succeed at the University of Arizona.
Donor ProfileThe Navarrette and Martin families include a number of UA alumni and supporters, and are strong advocates of giving back to the UA Hispanic Alumni Club.
Program Profile A full tuition scholarship from the UA Hispanic Alumni Club was a deciding factor for alumna Janis Gallego to attend the University, and was integral to her success in the classroom and in life.
Estes FamilyFor the Estes family, giving back is a responsibility they embrace wholeheartedly.
Donor ProfileThe family of the late Bill Estes Jr. credits the University of Arizona for its success, and supports the institution and the community through gifts of time and treasure.
Program ProfileThe non-traditional learning environment at the Wildcat School helps its middle-school students advance and prepares them for college.
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Mansfeld Family
Jacob S. Mansfeld’s wife, Eva, and their children Sam, Phyllis, Hannah and Monte, circa 1894.
The University of Arizona Foundation
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Mansfeld Descendents Consider Philanthropy a Part of LifeBy Edie Jarolim
No one can claim a longer tradition of
supporting the University of Arizona than
the descendents of Jacob S. Mansfeld. In
1885, when the Arizona Territorial Legislature
appropriated $25,000 to establish a state
university in Tucson, it was Mansfeld
who convinced two local gamblers and a
saloonkeeper to donate the land required to
secure the funds. A few years later, Mansfeld
became the UA’s first Regent.
Speaking about her great grandfather, who grew
up in Germany, Janna-Neen Cunningham said,
“Education was a way of life for him in Europe.
When you come to someplace as remote as
Tucson was, you want to bring elements of
civilization... and that meant education.”
Over the generations, the facets of education
the family held in particular esteem began
to crystallize.
Mansfeld’s granddaughter, the late Ann-
Eve Mansfeld Johnson, graduated from the
University and was the founding president of the
UA’s Friends of the Library. She was the driving
force behind the Ann-Eve and Emery Johnson
Library Endowment, created to purchase books
in the fine arts. Her daughter Janna-Neen
Cunningham, also a UA alumna, has donated
both time and money to the library, which she
calls, “the backbone of the University.”
Anita Scales, Ann-Eve Johnson’s niece, serves
on the Board of Trustees of the Friends of the
Library and heads the committee that organizes
its annual fundraising book sale. “The money we
make goes to buy books and online resource
materials for a lot of different disciplines, not just
the fine arts,” Scales explained. “The board gets
wish lists from deans of the different schools
and department chairs.”
Nor is the effort restricted to a single event. The
gathering and sorting of donated books for the
sale goes on year round, with Scales heading an
ever-growing team of volunteers.
Along with the library, public culture is a favorite
family cause. Ann-Eve Cunningham, a UA
alumna and now director of development for
the UA’s Arizona Public Media, recalls listening
to NPR and watching PBS throughout her
childhood – and remembers that her mother,
Janna-Neen, always gave generously to them.
“Improving the everyday life of the community,
especially the library and the arts, was very
important to my family,” Ann-Eve Cunningham
said. “Philanthropy was a part of life for us.”
Janna-Neen Cunningham concurs, noting that
supporting the things they prize always seemed
like a natural thing to do. “What my great
grandfather did was hard,” she said. “What
we do is easy.”
Jacob S. Mansfeld
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Graduate Assistants in the University Libraries
University Libraries graduate assistants funded by Kate Willock in 2008-09: Kassandra Rodeheaver, Rebecca Bliquez, Robin Green, Christine Eve Seliga, John Cook and Kimberly McClure.
Graduate Students Gain Professional Experience Through AssistantshipsBy Erica Piper
class and you think you understand it, but in
your graduate assistantship you see how it’s put
into practice, and that can’t really be taught in
the classroom setting.”
McClure agrees, adding that faculty mentors
enhanced her learning experience. “I gained
valuable professional experience that looks great
on a resume and I learned the practical side
of the profession from people who were really
interested in being positive mentors,” she said.
“Academically, my work reinforced everything I
was learning in my classes.”
Graduate assistantship opportunities in the
University Libraries are due, in large part, to
private funding. “Gifts we receive from private
foundations, organizations and individuals help
to fund these types of programs,” said graduate
assistant Kassandra Rodeheaver. “These
programs probably would not exist without
private funding.”
By engaging students and increasing their
enthusiasm about their studies, graduate
assistantships may also encourage them
to someday give back to the institution. As
McClure said, “You never know when one of
those former graduate assistants will ‘pay it
forward’ and return the favor to future students!”
To learn more about graduate assistantships,
visit http://grad.arizona.edu/financial-resources/ga.
University of Arizona alumna Kimberly McClure
is putting into practice what she learned through
her graduate assistantship with the University
Libraries.
During her 2008-09 academic year position,
which was funded by Kate Willock, the School
of Information Resources and Library Sciences
grad gained practical exposure in a protected
space. “I think I would have been ‘knocked for
a loop’ if I had come into my current position
without having experienced that first,” said
McClure, who is a curatorial/museum specialist
with the Arizona State Museum.
The graduate assistantship program, offered by
the University Libraries and supplemented with
private gifts, provides graduate students with
part-time employment in teaching, research,
outreach, or other administrative or technical
positions. The program not only enables
students to attend school with reduced tuition
costs and free health insurance, but also allows
them to translate theory from the classroom into
real life experiences.
“It’s a great marriage of theory and practice,
and the synergy between the two enriched my
education for a better experience, overall,” said
graduate assistant Christine Eve Seliga. “It’s just
so valuable getting an understanding of what
actually happens. You can hear something in
5 The University of Arizona Foundation
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“I think I would have been ‘knocked for a loop’ if I had come into my current position without
having experienced [a graduate assistantship] first.”
KiMBERLy MCCLURE
CURATORiAL/MUSEUM SPECiALiST
WiTH THE ARizONA STATE MUSEUM
Boice Family
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Fred and Ann Boice (far right) with their son, Henry Boice (third from right), and his family, at grandson Bradley’s graduation from the University of Arizona.
Wildcat Pride Runs Deep for Boice FamilyBy Eric Swedlund
P. Kelley Memorial Scholarship, and in memory
of her brother, through the Victor Bruce Kelley
Memorial Scholarship.
Wildcat pride runs through several generations
in the Boice family – all five of Fred’s and Ann’s
children have attended the UA. The family’s
deep connections have inspired them to
continue giving back.
Jennifer Boice, who received her MBA from the
University, said “the UA has defined Tucson and
has contributed not only to the quality of life, but
the bottom line here, more than people realize.
“My ties are so strong, in part because the UA is
a fabulous resource in Tucson. I just admire so
many of the people at the UA and what they’re
trying to do. So often you read something in
the paper about what’s going on there and you
say, ‘Wow, this is happening in Tucson.’”
Henry Boice, who earned a degree in business
administration in 1976, and his wife are both
UA graduates, as are three of their four children.
Henry’s son, Michael, a 2005 biochemistry
graduate now pursuing a doctorate at Cornell,
is continuing the family’s tradition by donating
to a scholarship fund.
“It’s been very easy to support something that
has helped as much in our lives as the UA has,”
Henry said.
Fred Boice can say he’s literally been there from
the beginning.
Before McKale Center opened in 1973, he
had tickets for Wildcat basketball games in
Bear Down Gym, and was invited to select his
seats for the new arena. Fred and his wife Ann
are still sitting there today as Wildcats for Life
and longtime donors to athletics, education,
business, agriculture and scholarships.
“We go to the basketball games, we take in
baseball games, we take in softball games,
women’s basketball games. We go to the dance
recitals, we go to the plays,” said Fred, a past
president of the Arizona Board of Regents. “I
wouldn’t live by choice anywhere there wasn’t
a major university. There are just too many
interesting things and people that I like to be
associated with.”
Fred, who took some graduate courses at the
UA, grew up south of Tucson, in a ranching
family with ties to the agriculture college. His
wife practically grew up on campus.
“My father was a professor in the College
of Education for 40 years and the University
campus was always the biggest part of our
lives,” Ann said.
A UA graduate and schoolteacher for 25 years,
Ann supports scholarships in memory of her
parents, through the Victor H. Kelley and Mary
7 The University of Arizona Foundation
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Project SOAR Mentors
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University of Arizona undergraduate students and Project SOAR mentors Natasha Sinha, Amit Srivastava and Roxanne Olivera.
Local Middle-School Students SOAR Their Way to Higher Education By Erica Piper
admissions and the opportunities offered in
college,” said Natasha Sinha, a senior biology
major and mentor at Hohokam Middle School.
“This information was especially important to
many of these students who are the first in their
family to even think about going to college.”
Under Lee’s guidance, Project SOAR has
grown from a small, noncredit, informal activity
to a year-round, highly demanded UA course.
Marx believes this development is crucial to the
community.
“[Project SOAR] provides opportunities for these
youngsters at a time when, through public
policy and financial problems in the state, it’s
increasingly difficult for them to get to college,”
Marx said.
Through generous gifts from private donors,
including Emily L. Meschter and the Helios
Education Foundation, approximately 600
students have been trained over three years as
mentors, and now serve seven middle schools.
“Private funding is essential to maintain the level
of current operations,” Lee said. “Additional
funding would allow us to further expand the
program to reach more students at more middle
schools. SOAR has the potential to become a
national model for other programs throughout
the U.S.”
To learn more about Project SOAR, visit
www.soar.web.arizona.edu.
Scholarship support, like that provided by
the Boice family, helps University of Arizona
students achieve their dreams of obtaining
higher education. But instilling the seed of that
dream often is done long before students step
onto campus.
Project SOAR is a College of Education (COE)
program created to help promote the value
of a higher education to local middle-school
students, some of whom grow up just miles
from the University.
“Many Tucson middle- and high-school students
have never set foot on campus,” said Jenny J.
Lee, a COE associate professor, and director
of Project SOAR and the Center for the Study
of Higher Education. “Many more do not have
family members who have ever attended the UA
or any college, despite generations of living in
Tucson.”
SOAR, which stands for Student Outreach,
Access and Resiliency, has been in the College
of Education for more than a decade. The
current version was developed by Lee with
support from Dean Ronald W. Marx. Through
the program, undergraduates from a variety of
majors make weekly visits to local schools
to mentor and encourage young, college-
aspiring students.
“Last semester, we focused on introducing
our students to concepts involving college
9 The University of Arizona Foundation
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“Many Tucson middle- and high-school students have never set foot on campus.”
JENNy J. LEE
COLLEGE OF EDUCATiON ASSOCiATE PROFESSOR,
AND DiRECTOR OF PROJECT SOAR AND THE
CENTER FOR THE STUDy OF HiGHER EDUCATiON
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Andy and Katy Groseta
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Agriculture Alumni Raised to Give Back, Help OthersBy Elena Acoba
The cattle-ranching Groseta family was raised
on philanthropy.
Third-generation Arizona cattleman Andy
Groseta and his oldest daughter, high-school
agriculture teacher Katy Groseta, have regularly
supported their alma mater, the University
of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences (CALS). Katy started giving three years
before she graduated with a bachelor’s degree
in animal sciences in 2005.
“I’ve been blessed and given much,” said Katy,
who teaches at Buckeye Union High School.
Giving “is an opportunity to do good for others.”
She picked up the practice from her parents,
Andy and Mary Beth. “As early as I can
remember, my parents were very giving,” she
said. “I’ve always seen them serve and volunteer
and help others.”
The couple instilled the virtue of volunteerism in
their children by getting them involved as peer
teachers and event workers for 4-H and the
Future Farmers of America.
Like his daughter, Andy Groseta learned about
giving from his rancher parents. “I was raised
to give back to the community, give back to the
schools, and give back to the state,” he said.
“You give back to the people who got
you there.”
CALS got Andy to a career as a high-school
agriculture teacher and to leadership within
the Arizona cattle industry as the owner of
his family’s 62-year-old W Dart Ranch in
Cottonwood. In 2008, he was president of
the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
Andy earned bachelor’s degrees in agriculture
education and animal sciences in 1972, and
a master’s degree in agriculture education in
1978.
“The UA gave me a great education for me to
succeed in life,” he said. “We want to continue
to provide opportunity to young people,
particularly to continue in agriculture.”
Ties to cattle and Wildcats remain strong with
the Grosetas. Katy’s siblings also have CALS
degrees. Her brother, Paul, and his family live on
the ranch to continue the family’s 88-year legacy
of raising cattle in the Verde Valley. Sister Anna
Aja provides public relations and marketing for
the Gowan Company, a Yuma-based crop-
protection firm.
Andy and Mary Beth also support the UA by
rooting for Arizona Athletics. They have season
tickets to Wildcat basketball and encourage the
youngest Grosetas, Paul’s four children who
range in age from 3 to 9 years, to cheer for red
and blue.
As for Katy, she tries to attend homecoming
every year. “I love the UA,” she said. “I am so
proud of being part of the University.”
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Young Alumni
Young Alumni Pave the Way for UA StudentsBy Lisa Lucas
always really important to us as a group, and to
her, personally.”
Hundreds of students and young alumni decide
to give to the University every year. The number
of alumni who make gifts is not just a bragging
point; some national rankings are based on the
percentage of alumni who give.
How much they give is not as important as the
act of giving. In CALS, Dean Sander’s funding
priorities for smaller gifts tend to support
student activities, including student travel and
scholarships.
“Some people think, why give unless you can
give millions, but even a small gift can make
a difference,” said Susan McGinley, a science
writer and editor in educational communications
and technologies. “It all adds up. Just look at
what they did with the text donations for Haiti –
and those were only $10 each.”
Giving back is an investment in the UA degrees
young alumni hold, and ensures future students
can pursue their dreams of higher education.
“I know a lot of people give because they’re
grateful for what they got from their major,”
McGinley said. “Giving back gives other people
a chance to have that, too.”
To learn more about CALS,
visit http://cals.arizona.edu.
For Katy Groseta, life as a Wildcat didn’t stop at
graduation.
The 2005 alumna of the College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences (CALS) is one of many young
alumni who opt to give back to the University. In
fact, Groseta began her philanthropic activities
before she graduated.
“When students give before they graduate it
means we’re essentially doing an excellent job
of providing their education,” said CALS Dean
Eugene G. Sander. “It’s very important that we
maintain relationships with our younger alumni,
because someone who gets involved while
in college may later on become even more
involved. Katy, I think, falls in that category.”
Since her graduation, Groseta has remained
connected to the University by attending events,
joining the UA Alumni Association, giving to
CALS, and staying involved with Sigma Alpha,
her professional agriculture sorority. She is a
past national board member of the organization,
which focuses on scholarship, leadership,
service and fellowship.
“Katy was always a big part of our philanthropic
events, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear she
is giving back as an alumna,” said Heather
Jepsen, one of Groseta’s sorority sisters who
now is a recruitment and instructional specialist
in agricultural education. “Philanthropy was
13 The University of Arizona Foundation
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“Some people think, why give unless you can give millions, but even a small gift can make
a difference.”
SUSAN MCGiNLEy
SCiENCE WRiTER AND EDiTOR iN EDUCATiONAL
COMMUNiCATiONS AND TECHNOLOGiES
Navarrette and Martin Families
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Back row (L-R): Daniel “Jim” Martin and Diego Navarrette; Front row (L-R): Patricia Preciado Martin, Elena Martin, Patricia Navarrette Mars and Elena Navarrette
Wildcat Family Passionate about Helping Hispanic AlumniBy Jane Erikson
the UA and graduated,” said Elena Navarrette.
“In some ways it was their passion for education
that inspired us to give back.”
Patricia Preciado Martin explained why she
gives to the Hispanic Alumni Club. “These are
my roots… I want to do what I can to help our
young Mexicano/Hispano students achieve their
goals. That is my passion.”
The Hispanic Alumni Club was started in 1982,
when Hispanics made up less than 10 percent
of UA undergraduate and graduate students.
They now comprise 16.8 percent of all students.
Elena and Diego Navarrette invited their
daughter Dr. Patricia Navarrette Mars to join
UAHA when she returned to Tucson in 1997,
after completing her plastic surgery residency
at the University of Southern California.
“I benefited from having parents who are
dedicated to education. I knew, probably in
grade school, that I would go to college,”
said Mars, who received her bachelor’s degree
(’85) and doctorate in medicine (’89) from
the University.
“So many young people don’t have that, but
Hispanic Alumni gives them a family atmosphere
to support them as they go through school.
And so many of them stay and give back to the
community. It’s ‘paying it forward.’ Being able to
donate to that and hear their stories each year is
really wonderful.”
They are generations of givers – parents and
children for whom higher education is not just
a priority, but a passion.
They measure their success not by what they
have received in life, but by what they are able
to give – particularly, for them, to the University
of Arizona Hispanic Alumni Club (UAHA).
“Hispanic Alumni is one of the three things
I am most proud of in my life,” said Diego
Navarrette, a fourth-generation Tucsonan and
first in his family to graduate from the UA, with a
bachelor’s degree (’60) and a master’s degree in
higher education (’92).
“My family is first. My teaching is second. And
being part of Hispanic Alumni is third.”
Diego’s wife, Elena, received her master’s
degree in library science from the UA. The
couple’s four children – a surgeon, a lawyer, an
engineer and a computer analyst – also are UA
graduates.
So is Elena’s brother, Al Preciado, and her sister,
author Patricia Preciado Martin. Patricia’s son,
Daniel “Jim” Martin, graduated from the UA
with a master’s degree in library science and
is an associate librarian with the UA Science-
Engineering Library. His sister, Elena Martin,
PhD, has taken courses at the University.
“Our parents were so supportive and proud of
the fact that my brother, sister and I all went to
15 The University of Arizona Foundation
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Janis Gallego
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UA Hispanic Alumni Club Scholarships Provide Encouragement and OpportunityBy Jane Erikson
By 1997, Elias and others recognized that
students needed more than financial support
to achieve their academic goals. In response,
Marty Cortez, then UAHA president, co-
initiated the Hispanic Alumni Student Scholars
Leadership/Retention Program that still exists
today. The program offers student support by
way of annual orientations for new and returning
scholars, as well as monthly meetings for all
UAHA scholarship recipients.
In 2002, Gallego was named UA Hispanic
Senior of the Year. Now an associate attorney
with Mesch, Clark & Rothschild, P.C., she serves
on the board of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce Foundation, is a member of
the Arizona Women’s Lawyers Association,
and serves on the UA President’s Hispanic
Advisory Council and its Intercollegiate Athletics
Committee. She previously served on the UAHA
Board of Directors.
“The UA Hispanic Alumni was there for me,”
Gallego said. “They were the extra voice
encouraging me every step of the way.
The impact they’ve made on my life
is immeasurable.”
Elias, who retired 10 years ago after serving
Tucson for 38 years as Postmaster, is still
involved with UAHA. Of the group who started
it all back in 1982, Elias said, “We were just
the ones who saw the challenge. We saw the
opportunities, and we pursued them.”
To learn more about UAHA,
visit http://arizonaalumni.com/uaha/.
Janis Gallego was a high-school junior when
Harvard, Stanford and other top-ranked
universities began asking her to apply.
Gallego and her parents met with college
after college. All were attractive, but almost
all required tuition beyond what her family
could afford.
By the time Gallego graduated from prestigious
University High School in Tucson, she had
chosen the University of Arizona. A full tuition
scholarship from the UA Hispanic Alumni Club
(UAHA) was the deciding factor.
“My parents are very pro-education. They
always encouraged me to go to college,” said
Gallego, who has two UA degrees: a bachelor’s
in journalism (’02) and a law degree from the
James E. Rogers College of Law (’05). “Having
the support of the UA Hispanic Alumni was an
integral part of my achieving my goals.”
Founded in 1982, UAHA began awarding
scholarships to young Hispanic men and
women in 1986. Seven students received
scholarships that year. Through 2009, nearly
1,200 scholarships totaling $4.48 million have
been awarded.
“We thought it would be of great value to
provide opportunities to kids with the ability
and the desire to attend the University,” said
alumnus Arnold Elias, ’59, who was the alumni
group’s first president.
17 The University of Arizona Foundation
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“Having the support of the UA Hispanic Alumni was an integral part of my achieving my goals.”
JANiS GALLEGO
UA ALUMNA AND ASSOCiATE ATTORNEy
WiTH MESCH, CLARK & ROTHSCHiLD, P.C.
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Estes Family
Standing (L-R): Shirley Estes, zack Estes, Bill Estes iV, J.K. Baker, Leah Estes, Kelly Estes; Seated (L-R): Bill Estes iii, zara Estes, K.C. Estes, Shannon Estes
For the Estes Family, Education isEverythingBy Lisa Lucas
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“You have to learn something new, every day, or
you can’t go to bed.”
According to William “Bill” Estes III, that was a
life motto of his late father, William “Bill” Estes
Jr., ’84, who passed away in August 2009. It
perhaps originated from a similar belief held by
Bill Estes Jr.’s father.
“My grandfather was offered a scholarship to
Washington State University, but he never went,”
said Bill Estes III. “I think he regretted it, so he
always impressed upon Dad the importance of
education.”
Bill Estes Jr. became the first in his family to
attend college, graduating from the University of
Arizona in 1961. It was there he met his future
wife, then Shirley Vanskike, also a UA grad.
He used his UA education to better the lives of
his family and his community.
“We owe everything to the UA,” said Joe Estes,
’88, a son of Bill Estes Jr. “My grandfather
started a small homebuilding business in 1946.
Then Dad went to the UA and made The Estes
Co. a huge success.”
Joe’s sister, Leah Estes, added: “My dad was
successful in his business not only because
of the education he got at the UA, but also
from the connections he made in college. To
graduate from the University and be locked
into that network was vital to the growth of
the company.”
Advocating for and supporting education
became a priority for Bill Estes Jr. He promoted
its value within his family – both of his sons are
UA grads – and to the entire community. He
served on the Arizona State Board of Education
and founded the Wildcat School, a nonprofit
charter school that serves Tucson middle-school
students.
Education, including higher education, is one of
the Estes family’s many philanthropic priorities.
They support the University by giving to a variety
of units on campus, allowing their individual
passions to determine the areas they support.
“We decide where our gifts go as a family,”
Shirley Estes said. “And our whole family gives
of time, even our grandchildren.”
The family supports the entire community, from
the arts to agriculture. Bill Estes III was named
the 2008 Western Region 4-H Volunteer of
the Year and serves on the board of Casa de
los Ninos. His daughter, Kelly Estes, opted
to donate her Christmas gifts one year to the
children at Casa. She later decided to get a
degree in social work to advocate even more
for children.
“To our family, giving is expected and a
responsibility,” Shirley Estes said. “As
businesspeople it’s important for us to
stand up and make contributions.”
The University of Arizona Foundation
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“We decide where our gifts go as a family.”
SHiRLEy ESTES
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K.C. Estes
The University of Arizona Foundation
Gifted
The late William “Bill” Estes Jr. was never one to stay idle. A respected Tucson businessman, family man, and University of Arizona alumnus, he was consistently on the move even after his “semi-retirement” from The Estes Co. in the late 1990s. This was particularly true once he decided to found the Wildcat School in 2006.
“My mother was trying to get Dad to take more time off, and telling my partner and our staff to send Dad home, but we would only see him once or twice a week because he was so busy with all of the educational things he had going,” said his son William “Bill” Estes III. “It was a joke around the office because we knew he wouldn’t listen to us – he was so passionate about what he was doing.”
The Wildcat School is a nonprofit, college-preparatory charter school. As a first-generation college graduate, Bill Estes Jr.’s goal was to make sure each of its middle-school students, no matter their socioeconomic status, had an opportunity to see the value of higher education.
“The Wildcat School is different from other charter schools because it helps the underserved part of society get ready for college,” said Christopher “Kip” Volpe, a member of the Governing and Corporate Boards of the Wildcat School.
Students are taught the basic skills needed to attend college, and are encouraged to learn and achieve at their own pace. Because the school is designed for the advancement of its students, classes are flexible.
“The 7th and 8th graders are not separated,”
said K.C. Estes, a teacher at the Wildcat School and the wife of Bill Estes III. “This allows teachers to tailor instruction to the needs of each student. If a student is missing some skills from previous years, the student is given opportunities to work on those, while a student who has already acquired those skills can work on the next skill, even if it is technically above his or her grade level.”
The UA has direct ties to the school. College of Education graduate students help to prepare class curricula, while undergraduate students from a variety of majors provide mentoring services. The University also hosted Cats in the Community Day 2009-2010 at the school site, during which faculty, staff, student and family volunteers helped paint, clean, organize and garden.
“The site of the Wildcat School was not in great condition,” said Holly Altman, director of outreach and community partnerships at the UA. “Overall, this will improve the learning environment and make the school more functional. We hope to attract more students with these improvements because parents will be more inclined to send their children here.”
The project also provides an immediate benefit to Wildcat School students.
“The students got to see how large projects must be thoroughly thought through and planned before being executed,” K.C. Estes said. “They also had the opportunity to see that giving back to the community can be rewarding and fun, even if it is a lot of work.”
To learn more about the Wildcat School,visit www.thewildcatschool.com.
The Wildcat School, an Investment in Arizona’s FutureBy Erica Piper and Lisa Lucas
21
“The Wildcat School is different from other charter schools because it helps the underserved part
of society get ready for college.”
CHRiSTOPHER “KiP” VOLPE
A MEMBER OF THE GOVERNiNG AND
CORPORATE BOARDS OF THE WiLDCAT SCHOOL
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