The Lindenwood - Fall 2020

20 21 FALL 2020 EDITION FALL 2020 EDITION THE LINDENWOOD THE LINDENWOOD CANOPY The Mighty THE GIVING COMMUNITY GIVING TRUE LOVE AT THE FEDERAL RESERVE Kathleen Louise Carlson earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lindenwood University in 1987 and she could be described in one word, passionate. Depending on relation, one would have called her Kathy or Katie. She met her husband, Keith, at the Federal Reserve and their love stemmed from their passion for education and learning. Katie had a wide variety of interests over the years—ballet, photography, art, stained glass, quilting, and most of all, music. Keith was an economist whose appetite for statistics and numbers was seen through his love for baseball, where he not only kept thousands of baseball books but kept baseball statistics, researched baseball players and numbers. When Katie passed away in 2015 from cancer, Keith was determined to honor Katie’s life. While he didn’t know what this initially meant, he did know that their bond over education and her love of music were two ways he could honor her. He learned about endowed scholarships and did his research – he could endow a scholarship in her name for the arts, therefore creating the Kathleen Carlson Memorial Scholarship for Instrumental Music. This scholarship affords juniors and seniors majoring in music performance or instrumental music the opportunity to receive scholarship support based on availability and funds. Keith was able to attend the annual Endowed Scholarship Luncheon two times where he was able to meet the recipients of this scholarship. For four years after Katie passed, the Carlson sisters, Kelley, Jenny, and Laura, were able to spend lots of quality time with their father, Keith. His final years were focused on enjoying life with his family and especially his great-grandchildren. In January 2019, Keith passed away unexpectedly. Many of the siblings were shocked by his passing, but his eldest daughter, Kelley, believed that he was at peace. Kelley and her stepbrother, Aaron, were in charge of their father’s estate and thought a scholarship was the right way to honor his love of learning and passion for education. When starting to think about the scholarship, Kelley quoted that, “Creating a scholarship was perfect for her (Katie), so it was perfect for him.” It took Kelley awhile to approach her siblings about this scholarship, but they agreed. By creating a scholarship in their dad’s name, they would, “reap the rewards for doing something so good that others would be benefiting as well.” However, it wasn’t until the family attended the Endowed Scholarship Luncheon later that year when they realized what type of scholarship they would create to honor their father. At the luncheon, they were able to meet the recipient of Katie’s scholarship and sat with two other students who had received baseball scholarships. The family thought it was a sign those students received baseball scholarships and their father was so passionate about the sport. They were also convinced that having both Katie and Keith’s scholarships housed at Lindenwood would be what her dad would have wanted. In the end, the siblings established the Keith Carlson Endowed Scholarship, designated to support eligible juniors and seniors on the baseball team. If there is one thing that we learned from our interview with Kelley, she stated her dad was passionate about the importance of education and believed one should never stop learning, a sentiment which he hoped would be passed down to his grandkids and great-grandkids. Kelley shared that while she misses her father, she learned so much about him and Katie. Their love and commitment education persist, and the family is eager to continue this tradition. She knows that this passion will grow, and encourages others to follow in her parents’ example, staying humble, realizing the importance of giving, attending future luncheons, and sending future family members to attend Lindenwood. THE GIVING COMMUNITY KELLEY BARUZZINI Creating a scholarship was perfect for her (Katie), so it was perfect for him… By creating a scholarship in their dad’s name, they would, reap the rewards for doing something so good that others would be benefiting as well. Katie and Keith at Lindenwood graduation in 1987 Celebrating 2019 Scholarship Recipient, Andrew (center)