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.
Donor Spotlight: Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton
Otterbein University awards some form of merit and/or need-based aid to 99% of freshmen students. Some of this aid is provided through scholarships funded by The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation. Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton (1909-2003) was a pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose profession was architecture and business but whose passion was education and philanthropy. Mr. Knowlton owned and chaired the Knowlton Construction Company,which was started by his father in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1937.Knowlton Construction was responsible for over 600 major…
I’m a Lifelong Learner – Annie Upper Ames ’86
I saw an ad in the paper for a course at Otterbein and thought that it sounded interesting. I ran over to Otterbein to sign up. In the middle of the course, I realized I was doing really well and would have an ‘A’ so I decided to become a student. It took me nine years to earn my degree. I was raising four children and helping run the family business while I would juggle taking a class or two. (Annie was…
Daugherty’s Promise for the Future
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
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
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…
