OKLAHOMA CITY ā During his lifetime, Herman Meinders set the standard for giving to Ļć½¶Šć University, easily becoming the institutionās most prolific donor.
Though he passed away in March, Meinders has ensured that his philanthropic impact will be felt at the university for years to come.
University officials today announced an $18 million gift to Ļć½¶Šć from The Meinders Foundation. The funds will be held in the Herman Meinders Endowment at the OKC Community Foundation, with an annual distribution of nearly $1 million that will benefit the university in perpetuity.
This gift matches the previous single largest contribution the philanthropist had made to the university ā an $18 million gift that funded construction of the Meinders School of Business building, which opened in 2004 on the northeast corner of the Ļć½¶Šć campus.
The new $18 million endowed gift comes on the heels of a $4 million cash gift provided by The Meinders Foundation last fiscal year, following Meindersā passing. Combined, these gifts push Meindersā total giving to Ļć½¶Šć over the $75 million mark.
āWhat more is there to say about the generosity of Herman Meinders,ā Ļć½¶Šć President Kenneth Evans said. āHe demonstrated over and over his commitment to Ļć½¶Šć University and now has further cemented his legacy as a true Ļć½¶Šć great.ā
Approximately two-thirds of the annual endowment disbursement has been earmarked to support scholarships and operations at the Meinders School of Business.
The schoolās interim dean, Bob Greve, said that Meindersā support has had and will continue to have a transformational impact on the local business community.
āMany of our communityās business leaders got their footing in the business world thanks to Herman Meindersā generosity,ā Greve said. āWe are thrilled to see this impact continue for future generations of business students.ā
The remainder of the disbursement will support scholarships and operations at the Kramer School of Nursing ā the school is named after the parents of Meindersā late wife, LaDonna ā and the Wanda L. Bass School of Music.
Evans noted that the distribution of the endowment gift to several areas of the university is consistent with Meindersā wide-reaching impact at Ļć½¶Šć.
āCertainly, Herman will be remembered through the business school,ā Evans said. āBut there are few ā if any ā parts of the university that have not been improved or enriched through his philanthropy.ā
Originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, Meinders attended Ļć½¶Šć in the 1950s and worked toward a business degree. In 1970 he founded American Floral Services, Inc., an international flowers-by-wire service based in Ļć½¶Šć. Meinders later earned an honorary doctorate of commercial science from Ļć½¶Šć.
More information about the life and legacy of Meinders can be found here.
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