Ethel Rice Comes Through Again
Seven years ago Ethel Rice, Vice President of the WSC
Foundation Board of Directors, made an estate gift of one
million dollars to Western State College. Now she’s done it
again, and this time, the gift will be made during her lifetime.
The retired long-time librarian at Western announced at a recent WSC Foundation meeting that she was making a second donation of a million dollars to the college.
The first was to Western’s art program to fund an endowment for visiting artists. The most recent gift will go toward the creation of an art museum. Rice’s first major gift in 2000 was Western’s first gift of $1 million to be given or designated to Western, and is credited with paving the way for nine other gifts of $1 million or more to the College’s Foundation by various benefactors since then.
“The fact that Ethel, a career librarian, is willing to make such transforming-level gifts inspires those with exponentially greater resources to consider the impact their generosity can have on future generations of students, if they will follow her extraordinary example,” said WSC Foundation Executive Director Tom Burggraf. “Who would guess that the story of WSC Foundation moving strongly into the realm of million dollar donors would have the tag line, ‘…and a librarian will lead< them?’ It fills me with awe and gratitude.”
Rice, a career librarian who served the Savage Library at Western for 36 years, from 1965 to 2001, is a 1963 Western graduate. She was an art student during her college days and said she wanted to give back to the arts.
“I was absolutely stunned by her gift,” Burggraf said. He added that he probably should not have been surprised considering how much she loves Western. “Ethel’s heart is even bigger than her gifts, and she is tireless in seeking ways to bless our students, faculty and College.”
Burggraf, who is also the College’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement, said Rice had been very secretive about the donation. WSC President Jay Helman said he was also taken by surprise. He said he is deeply appreciative of all Rice does for the college and that “her commitment to Western and love of the arts is both extraordinary and inspiring.”
Rice is the executor of the estate of August and Loretto Grosland, both of whom died in recent months and left their assets to Western to create an art museum. Rice’s gift will go toward the “Grosland Museum Project,” which is in the conceptual stage. August (Gus) Grosland retired from his position as an art professor at Western in 1979.