Donor Stories
Every donor has a story and a passion that inspires their support of Otterbein, our students and our campus community. But more than donors, the many alumni, students, employees, friends, and neighbors that help support Otterbein are part of a diverse community that stands behind the mission and values that our University represents. Their stories showcase the generosity, creativity, and desire to help others that our donors embody and inspire each and every day. Read some of them below.
Daugherty’s Promise for the Future
Posts - September 16, 2020
Coming from a long line of educators — both grandmothers and both parents went to college and became teachers — you could say Professor Beth Daugherty’s fate, a lifetime of teaching British and American literature, was sealed early growing up in Quaker City, a small town of about 500 located in southeastern Ohio. “I liked to read as a child,” Daugherty said. “But college surrounded me with the transformative power of words. I want future students to feel that expanding…
A Passion for Wildlife
Posts - September 16, 2020
Kyle Miller was a junior zoo and conservation science major at Otterbein when he died in a tragic kayaking accident in March 2014. During their time of loss, Pamela and Craig Miller, Kyle’s parents, discovered the support of the campus community — from his classmates who planted a memorial tree on campus to the administrators who helped them establish an endowed scholarship fund and plan the first Kyle Miller Memorial 5K. “Having gone to a larger university, we were both…
New Windows Light Up Battelle’s Future
Posts - September 16, 2020
Alumna Virginia Phillippi Longmire ‘55 made a $150,000 commitment during the Where We STAND Matters campaign toward the restoration of the Battelle Fine Arts Center, the current home of Otterbein’s Department of Music. “I am so happy that I have some resources to share in this way,” Longmire shared. “The restoration will dress up Battelle Fine Arts Center a bit and make it more compatible with other buildings in that part of campus. This campaign exemplifies what Otterbein has stood…
Greek Fraternity Endows Scholarship with Milestone Gift
Posts - September 16, 2020
Lambda Gamma Epsilon fraternity endowed a $80,000 scholarship during the STAND campaign, the largest gift made by any Greek organization in Otterbein’s history. With this gift, a scholarship will be awarded each year to a fraternity brother who exemplifies the values of the organization and demonstrates financial need. Efforts were coordinated by chapter alumni members including Russell Beitzel ’96, Charles Ernst ’73 and Mike Wasylik ’74 and past president of the chapter, Brandon Moss ’05. The gift amount was collected over time by various constituents of the Lambda…
A World Perspective
Posts - September 16, 2020
From the icy shores of Antarctica to the sandy beaches of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, Betsy Salt’s intrepid travels have taken her to the far reaches of the world and allowed her to enjoy its natural wonders and myriad cultures. In all, Salt has visited 80 countries during a life-long adventure that began her freshman year in college and continued throughout her long tenure as a cataloger and metadata librarian at Otterbein’s Courtright Memorial Library. She wants to…