Railroad executive's gift eases ESU students' financial burdens
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Emporia State University
A former railroad executive is giving $60,000 in scholarships to Emporia State University students in the next two years to ease their financial strain in the current economic climate.
John McPherson and his wife, Ann, of Ponte Vedra, Fla., have established the McPherson Family Scholars Fund at the ESU Foundation to provide 10 scholarships, $2,000 each, for the 2009-10 school year, and another $40,000 for the 2010-11 school year. The scholarships are intended for ESU students from Kansas high schools who are studying in any academic field.
McPherson, who from 1999 to 2007 was the president and chief operating officer of Florida East Coast Railway, formerly served as the vice president of operations for Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago, and before that spent 25 years in management with the Santa Fe Railroad. A native of Emporia, McPherson earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Kansas State Teachers College (now Emporia State University) in 1969.
“Emporia State offered me a lot of opportunity in my life and my career, so I’m ready to give back,” McPherson said.
When the McPhersons set up their family foundation, they knew they wanted to give to ESU — particularly for the university’s ability to educate Kansans, some of whom might be the first in their families to attend college.
“There are a lot of young people in Kansas who maybe don’t have an opportunity to get that great education — but Emporia State is positioned so perfectly to meet that need,” McPherson said. “If I can be a little bit of help to share what I’ve learned, I’m glad to share.”
The result, like a train arriving right on schedule, is scholarship support for ESU students when they need it most.
“The foresight John and Ann have shown in creating this fund is remarkable,” said Linda Pease, chief development officer at the ESU Foundation. “Their goal was to help students stay in school during the current economic crisis so they will be prepared to enter the job market when it improves. John told me he hopes this program will enable many students to do so, and he also hopes to encourage others to give back in similar ways.”
As a youngster, McPherson formed an early connection with the campus, playing basketball in the gym and swimming in the pool. Throughout his time in college, he worked as a switchman and brakeman in Emporia’s busy train yards, witnessing a busy hub of east-west train traffic crossing the United States. As an executive rising through the ranks, McPherson earned a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and completed executive programs at the University of Southern California and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2008, he joined the CSX Railroad Board of Directors.
F For more information on the McPherson Family Scholars Fund or on supporting ESU through the ESU Foundation, contact the Foundation at (620) 341-5440 or sacfound@emporia.edu. Visit us online at www.emporia/foundation and www.emporia.edu/give.
history_nerd (anonymous) says...
It's donations like yours that made it possible for me to go to college. Thank you, Mr. McPherson!
May 13, 2009 at 2:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )