Sept. 5, 1997

Story by Diane Silver

KANSAS CITY WOMAN GIVES $10,000 FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

LAWRENCE -- A Kansas City woman who was a pioneer in physical education has given $10,000 for University of Kansas scholarships, Karen S. Gallagher, KU dean of education, announced today.

Helen Boman Pusey has earmarked the scholarships for deserving female students in physical education. A swimmer and diver, Pusey earned a physical education degree from KU in 1935, a time when only a handful of women were in the physical education program.

"We are deeply grateful to Helen Pusey for her generosity," Gallagher said. "As a pioneer in physical education, she understands the importance of supporting students. This gift will continue to help people for years to come."

Pusey said she continues to value the education she received at KU.

"People can take your money and your jewels and possessions, but they can't take your degree or what's in your mind," she said.

When Pusey was a KU student, she took classes from the inventor of basketball, James Naismith, and dated his son. She was a classmate of Glenn Cunningham, who held the world record in the mile twice and won a silver medal in the Olympics. She remembers when Strong Hall was being built and trolley tracks ran behind Watson Library.

After graduating from KU, Pusey taught physical education in Coffeyville and Kansas City, Mo. After she married Ralph L. Pusey, who also attended KU and later was an international airline captain for TWA, she was forced to quit teaching because married women were not allowed to teach at the time. Ralph Pusey died in 1993.

The couple has two children. Ralph E. Pusey graduated from KU with a degree in physical education. Robert Pusey also attended KU. Helen Pusey's step-grandson, Ryan North, is a student at KU and a member of Naismith's fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. Helen Pusey is a member of the KU Alumni Association and the Gold Medal Club, whose members have been Alumni Association members for 50 years or more.

The gift will be administered by the KU Endowment Association, an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management foundation for the university. Founded in 1891, the Endowment Association is the oldest foundation of its type at a public university in the United States and one of the largest.

--KUEA--