Vernon and Jane Voorhees
2/12/07
Vernon Voorhees was inseparable from the outdoors: he had a passion for flyfishing, especially on the Madison River in Montana.
Montana seemed the most appropriate place for Vernon’s wife, artist Jane Voorhees, to memorialize him by scattering his ashes in 2001. Now she has established a permanent memorial to Vernon, business ’64 and law ’67: a graduate scholarship for KU students who follow in his footsteps.
Jane’s gift of $50,000 established the Vernon Voorhees II Graduate Scholarship. The scholarship will provide support for students who are pursuing a degree in KU’s master’s in business administration/juris doctorate (MBA-JD) program.
“I’m just thrilled that I was able to find something like this, something that he would have been proud of,” said Jane, fine arts ’64. “It will honor his name and life for years, and it will help other students get through college a little easier.”
Jane credits Vernon’s education in business and law with providing him a rewarding career as an insurance executive with Business Mens Assurance Co., now Generali. His work with the company spanned from graduation in 1967 until his death in 2000. What he enjoyed most, Jane said, was negotiating.
“He loved making deals,” she said. “His KU education helped him to be a good negotiator.”
Jane and Vernon married in 1964 and raised two children together. Jane earned a master’s degree in art at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1995. A Kansas City artist, she has worked for Hallmark, Inc., and she teaches continuing education courses in printmaking and painting at the Kansas City Art Institute. In June 2006, the Lawrence Art Center hosted a show of her paintings and prints. Her work has also been featured at SOHO 20 Gallery-Chelsea in New York City and numerous local and regional shows.
Her gift for the scholarship is the perfect memorial for her late husband, she said.
“I could have bought a park bench in his honor,” she said. “I could have done something in the arts, but the arts are more my area and it wouldn’t have been the right thing for him. Instead, I chose a scholarship. I’m so excited to do this.”
Return to News Releases