February 8, 2000
Contact: John Scarffe, KU Endowment Association, (785) 832-7336.
LAWRENCE - A former Kansas secretary of state and a Washington, D.C., executive have memorialized their mother by establishing a $16,300 scholarship fund that is already helping students at the University of Kansas, Provost David Shulenburger announced today.
The gifts of securities and cash to the Kansas University Endowment Association from former Secretary of State Jack Brier of Topeka and William Brier of Rockville, Md., established the M. Pearl Munden Brier Scholarship Fund.
The fund provides scholarships for deserving students, sophomores or above, who are members of KU's Chi Omega sorority and exhibit leadership in the sorority and on campus. Sophomores Erin Connelly, Topeka, and Kathleen Ferrell, Solomon, have been awarded the scholarship for the 1999-2000 academic year.
"We are most grateful to Jack and William Brier for this generous gift in honor of their mother," Shulenburger said. "Scholarships are among the university's most important priorities. To support deserving students is certainly a wonderful way both to honor a loved one and to benefit society." Pearl Brier attended KU, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. She became a teacher and worked in the Shawnee Mission school district until her death in 1970.
Jack Brier attended KU in 1968 and received his bachelor's degree from Washburn University. He also completed graduate work in business administration at KU. After starting in the secretary of state's office as an office assistant in 1968, he was secretary of state from 1978 through 1986. Brier also has been chairman of the Shawnee Country Republican Party. He is president of Brier Development Inc. of Topeka, and is active in many state and local business, civic and charitable organizations.
William Brier received his bachelor's degree from KU in 1969. He is vice president of communications and statistics for Edison Electric Institute in Washington, D.C.