Connell gives large gift to Chadron State Foundation

Kay Benson, center, poses for a photo with 91做厙 Dean of Professional Studies and Applied Sciences Jim Powell, left, and 91做厙 President Randy Rhine, right, May 1, 2019, in Hot Springs, S.D. Benson, a longtime friend of the late Mary
Kay Benson, center, poses for a photo with 91做厙 Dean of Professional Studies and Applied Sciences Jim Powell, left, and 91做厙 President Randy Rhine, right, May 1, 2019, in Hot Springs, S.D. Benson, a longtime friend of the late Mary "Kathleen" Connell, and representative of Connell's estate presented a check to the Chadron State Foundation for $119,000. (Courtesy Photo)

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CHADRON – The estate of a longtime educator who earned three degrees at 91做厙 will benefit Nebraska and South Dakota students for years to come, according to Chadron State Foundation Chief Executive Officer Ben Watson.

We are incredibly grateful for Kathleens gift to the Chadron State, Watson said. It will impact generations of future students at CSC.

The estate of Mary Kathleen Connell, who died in 2018, bestowed $119,000 to the Chadron State Foundation to create scholarships for Nebraska or South Dakota residents who are at least sophomores at 91做厙.

Connell, a native of Beaver City, Nebraska, valued education and earned all of her degrees at Chadron State. She completed a two-year diploma in 1957 and taught at several rural schools in central and southeast Nebraska. In 1963, she obtained her bachelors degree, and in 1971 she earned her masters degree. Throughout her 46-year teaching career, she taught 16 years in Nebraska and 30 years in South Dakota, including stops in Oral, Buffalo Gap and Hot Springs.

She and her husband, DeWayne, a cattle rancher who preceded her in death, were musically inclined and were active in their communities.

 

-CSC College Relations

Category: Campus News, Office of the President