pyle

Wanda and Tom Pyle
News Releases

 2/13/08

Chase County couple’s bequest to fund KU autism research

LAWRENCE — The Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies at the University of Kansas will benefit from a bequest of more than $1 million from a rural Chase County couple. The gift from the estate of Wanda and Thomas Pyle will support research that benefits children who have developmental disabilities.

Wanda Pyle died in 2006 at the age of 92. Her husband, Thomas, died in 2001. Longtime ranchers in Elmdale, the couple had no children themselves, but stipulated that the bulk of their estate should fund research and service at KU that would improve children’s lives.

Steve Warren, director of the Life Span Institute, said the bequest will be used to enhance the institute’s efforts to pursue high-impact research on the causes and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, which currently affect one in every 150 children in the United States.

“We greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness of Wanda and Thomas Pyle in making this bequest, which will make a significant difference in our work not only in Chase County but also throughout the state and nation,” Warren said.

The Life Span Institute provides leadership and training in autism treatment through research and clinics and is the sponsor of a new initiative, the Work Group on Autism Research and Training. The Work Group is exploring the development of a permanent research and training center that will serve all of Kansas.

The institute is one of the largest research and development programs in the nation for the prevention and treatment of developmental disabilities. It includes 12 centers and more than 120 programs and projects located on the Lawrence campus, the KU Medical Center and other sites in Kansas City, Kan., and Parsons.

The fund will be managed by KU Endowment, an independent, nonprofit foundation serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.


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