Wichita couple pledges scholarship support for KU

WICHITA -- Continuing a history of philanthropy that dates back to a $25 contribution a quarter-century ago, two Wichita Pizza Hut entrepreneurs have pledged a cash gift and an estate gift for the University of Kansas.

The cash gift from Eric "Ric" T. Knorr and his wife, Darlene R. Knorr, is a $60,000 pledge for two funds at the Kansas University Endowment Association. Of that pledge, $25,000 establishes an unrestricted fund in their names and another $25,000 establishes the Monte D. Maska Scholarship in Medicine. Named for one of Darlene's sons, the scholarship will be awarded to medical students from the Wichita area specializing in primary care. The remaining $10,000 will be added to a scholarship Darlene and Ric established in 1984 in honor of his parents, James H. Knorr, liberal arts '31, and Virginia T. Knorr, liberal arts '35. The Knorr scholarship is awarded annually to a qualifying KU athlete majoring in business.

The Knorrs also committed a gift through their estate plans that will eventually be split between the Maska scholarship and the couple's unrestricted fund. The Knorrs' total gift counts toward the $500 million goal of KU First: Invest in Excellence, the third and largest fund-raising campaign for KU.

The couple made their first contribution for KU in 1978, when they gave $25 for the KU School of Law. Ric, business '64, said he and Darlene were carrying on a philanthropic example set by his parents.

"There's a pattern of giving in our family," Ric said, noting his father's past support for a study room in the fraternity Delta Upsilon at KU. "Also, part of their estate went into the scholarship we established in their names."

Ric said he and Darlene chose to establish a scholarship in medicine because two of their children died at a young age. Ric also said his work on the boards of organizations such as the Wesley Medical Research Institute made him aware of needs in medicine.

Ric's membership on the Chancellors Club Advisory Board at KU Endowment from 1995 until 2002 -- including a two-year term as chair -- convinced him of the need to make an unrestricted gift as well. The organization raises unrestricted gifts for KU and recognizes major donors. Unrestricted gifts assist KU in many areas, including the funding of scholarships, providing materials and resources for faculty, and buying state-of-the-art equipment.

Judy Wright, director of the Chancellors Club, thanked the Knorrs for their gifts for KU First.

"Ric's leadership on the Chancellors Club Advisory Board has been extraordinary," she said. "His positive attitude and understanding of the importance of unrestricted giving has encouraged others to get involved and support the university in this rather unique manner. Only about 5 percent of all gifts to KU Endowment are unrestricted; they are the most needed and least thought-of type of gift."

Ric was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program when he graduated from KU in 1964, and he served until 1968 in the U.S. Air Force, where he attained the rank of captain. Afterward he joined the Wichita independent insurance agency Dulaney, Johnston & Priest. He became a partner in the firm about five years later and rose through the ranks to become president, CEO and chairman. Since his retirement from the insurance industry in 1999, Ric has been president of K Bar M Pizza Company, a group of seven Pizza Hut franchise restaurants. He also is the founder of HQS&C Management Co. LLC, a management firm that provides administrative and financial services for K Bar M.

In addition to his volunteer work for the Chancellors Club, Ric is a member of the School of Business Board of Advisors and a member of the Campaign Committee for the KU School of Medicine-Wichita, which is raising gifts for the Wichita campus during KU First. He is a lifetime member of the Kansas Alumni Association. Ric also is on the boards of Intrust Financial Corp., Intrust Bank and the Kansas Health Foundation, all of which are in Wichita.

Darlene graduated from Fort Hays State University with a degree in elementary education in 1962. After the death of her first husband, she took over ownership and management of a group of seven Pizza Hut franchises. She is owner of DK Consulting in Wichita and is a full-time volunteer for a variety of civic organizations. A trustee of the Fort Hays State Endowment Association and chair of "Success by Six" in Wichita, she also is a member of the Girl Scout Capital Campaign and the board of directors of FUNdamental Learning Center in Wichita. She is chair of the Kansas Children's Service League Foundation.

Darlene and Ric married in 1976. There are six children in the Knorr family: Michael G. Maska; Mark C. Maska; Monte D. Maska, medicine '93; Melissa A. Walters; Andrea Knorr Sullivan; and Elizabeth Knorr Wright, a second-year student in the KU School of Law.

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, non-profit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU.