November 17, 1998
A. Scott and Carol L. Ritchie of Wichita have established the Scott and Carol Ritchie Performing Arts Endowment at the Kansas University Endowment Association with a gift of cash. Among other activities, Scott Ritchie is a member of the KU Endowment Board of Trustees. Among her alumni efforts, Carol Ritchie is executive vice chair of the Kansas Alumni Association and has served on its board for five years. She also serves on the board of governors of the Adams Alumni Center.
Their contribution qualifies for a $100,000 match from the Lied Foundation to support the Lied Performance Fund, which makes possible Lied Center appearances by nationally and internationally known performers. The fund also helps performers hold workshops and discussions with local schoolchildren, KU students and Lied Center patrons.
"The staff and I are so grateful to the Ritchies for their vision," said Lied Center Director Jacqueline Davis. "The Lied Center will become a more exciting place to be because of the programming support. The Ritchies are terrific people for choosing the Lied Center and for understanding the true impact of their gift."
The Ritchies share an interest in theater, music and dance.
"We wanted to make a gift to KU, and the Lied Center was a good fit," Scott Ritchie said. "The fact that the Lied Foundation would double our money made the gift even better."
Scott Ritchie, a Wichita native, graduated from KU in 1954 with a bachelor's degree in geology. He is chairman of Ritchie Exploration Inc., a Wichita-based oil and gas exploration company that he founded in 1963. He was inducted into the Kansas Oil and Gas Hall of Fame this year, a recognition given to pioneers in the oil industry.
Scott Ritchie is also chairman of the board of Hallrich Inc., a company that operates restaurants in northeastern Ohio, and president of Highland Ranch Co., a Kansas-based cattle operation. He enjoys hunting and snow skiing when he and his wife are not traveling, fishing or riding horses at the ranch.
Carol Swanson Ritchie grew up in Clarinda, Iowa, and received a bachelor's degree in music education from KU in 1954. In Wichita, she has been active in numerous community organizations, including service on the boards of the botanical garden, historical museum and symphony.
The Ritchies have made many gifts for KU over the years, including contributions to the Williams Educational Fund for athletics and the hydrogeology program, which focuses on the study of ground water.
Scott Ritchie is a member of the Geology Associates advisory board for the department and served as a member of the Kansas Geological Survey advisory committee. In 1992 the Department of Geology honored him with the Erasmus Haworth Distinguished Alumni Award, which is presented to KU geology graduates who have had outstanding careers.
The Ritchies are lifetime members of the Chancellors Club, KU's major-donor organization, and sustaining life members of the Alumni Association.
The Ritchies met while they were students at KU and were married three weeks after graduation. They have three grown children, A. Scott Ritchie III, Thomas Ritchie and Ann Ritchie Nelson. Scott and Ann are both KU graduates. Scott and Tom have careers in the family businesses; Scott is president of Ritchie Exploration Inc. and Tom is vice president of Highland Ranch Co.
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 of Kansas. Founded in 1891, the KU Endowment Association is the oldest foundation of its type at a public university in the United States and one of the largest.
Story by Val Renault, (785) 832-7400