Donors commit $1.5 million to build new home for KANU radio

LAWRENCE -- A longtime volunteer and philanthropist and a Kansas family foundation have committed more than $1.5 million to help build a new home for public radio station KANU at the University of Kansas.

Lawrence resident Hortense "Tensie" Oldfather gave more than $1 million in securities to the Kansas University Endowment Association to help construction begin in May. She is the wife of the late Charles "Charley" Oldfather Jr., who was a KU law professor and university counsel.

In addition, $500,000 has been pledged by the Sunderland Foundation. Of the pledge, $100,000 has been provided by the Ash Grove Charitable Fund at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. A member of KANU's advisory board, James P. Sunderland is trustee and president of the Sunderland Foundation and retired chairman of Ash Grove Cement Company, a family-owned company headquartered in Overland Park.

Both gifts count toward the $500 million goal of KU First: Invest in Excellence, the largest fund-raising campaign in KU history.

"KANU's current home has served us well in the past, but it does not provide the environment necessary for the station to grow or operate efficiently," said Chancellor Robert Hemenway. "The university is grateful that Tensie and the Sunderland Foundation have made this much-needed facility a reality."

Gifts are still being accepted for the $2.2 million project, which is expected to be completed by 2003.

The new three-story home for KANU will be connected to the Baehr Audio-Reader Center on the northern edge of the campus near Joseph R. Pearson Hall. A garage north of the Baehr Center will be razed to make room for the new building. The 9,500-square-foot facility will be about 4,500 square feet larger than KANU's current home, which was built in 1941 as a temporary structure.

The new building will make it easier to share staff and resources between KANU and Audio-Reader, a volunteer service that provides audio versions of print materials such as books and newspapers for the visually impaired. Currently the two organizations are spread out in three buildings over a 1-mile distance. KANU's transmitter carries the radio subfrequency used by Audio-Reader.

"This is a major step forward for KANU, just in time for the station's 50th birthday this year," said Janet Campbell, KANU general manager and director of Audio-Reader. "We are thrilled to have such generous donors for the project. Soon we will have the space and the combined resources to provide expanded programs for our listeners across the state, including more live performances."

Tensie said she made her gift because she values the services provided by both KANU and Audio-Reader.

"I listen to KANU and I'm aware of its close association with the services provided by Audio-Reader," she said. "The new building will bring KANU and Audio-Reader together for a more efficient operation."

Tensie, a 1941 University of Nebraska graduate, moved to Lawrence with her husband in 1950 when he accepted a faculty position in the KU School of Law. In addition to raising seven children, she has been a volunteer for a variety of community organizations, including the Bert Nash Mental Health Clinic, the Red Cross, the Lawrence school system and Head Start.

The Sunderland Foundation was founded in 1945 by Lester T. Sunderland, who served as president of Ash Grove Cement for three decades. The foundation, which has given for multiple areas at KU, provides grants for buildings, capital projects, higher education, youth services and museums, among many others. KU Endowment is conducting KU First on behalf of KU through 2004 to raise funds for scholarships, fellowships, professorships, capital projects and program support. KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.