There is an old adage that says bad news happens in groups of three. We wonder with the good news that Emporia received last week, however, if we should not coin a new adage that good news comes in groups of three.
So what was the good news last week?
On Sept. 25, the Jones Fund announced it would give $1,000 to freshman students from Lyon, Coffey and Osage counties attending Emporia State University or the Flint Hills Technical College. The goal of this program is to encourage students to stay in the community.
More good news came the next day when the estate of Martha Kruse Furbur gave ESU $1.875 million. This was the largest monetary gift in ESU’s history. Furbur received a library certificate in 1938 from ESU, and the interesting thing about this gift is it came from a lifelong librarian who last worked for the Orange County Public Library in Santa Ana, Calif. She was widowed for many years and just saved her money.
So what is the third piece of good news? Well, we are waiting. We are hoping for another generous donor to step forward with another donation this week. We know there are people out there who have been thinking about giving, but just haven’t made the commitment. Wouldn’t it be great to make that commitment this week and keep these donations on a roll?
When people leave money to the university, it allows the school to be competitive in recruiting and retaining students.
ESU is an economic engine for our community and the more people we can attract to the school, the more our community will grow.
Martha Furbur has set a new record for ESU. Now, we need someone to break it.
Christopher White Walker
Editor & Publisher