Meet Our Donors

We are thankful for those who have made an estate gift to the UNLV Foundation. Here are their stories.

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Retired UNLV Professors Fund Undergraduate Scholarships

Darryl Seale says he and his wife, Karen, are “most interested in giving to people who it makes a difference to, as to whether they would stay in school.”

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Celebrating the Liberal Arts

Long-time UNLV faculty member Dr. Catherine Bellver’s gift will strengthen the liberal arts, which she says are “often overlooked in today’s technological and materialistic society.”

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Advocating for Success

The promise of “justice for all” is at the core of the American dream. For Christine Smith, it has been the lodestar of a brilliant and long career.

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New Graduate Assistantship to be funded by Endowment Honoring Andrea K. Varner and Randall M. Varner, Jr.

Losing a loved one unexpectedly can be a gut-wrenching experience. However, for many, the grieving process goes beyond saying goodbye.

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New Scholarship Offers a Soft Landing for First Generation Students

Geoff Hughes '81 established the Stephanie Wolf Hughes First Generation Scholarship in 2019 to honor his mother's spirit, and to give other exceptional people a chance to soar.

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Homeless But Not Hopeless

If you want to address youth homelessness in Las Vegas, you really need to address LGBTQ+ homelessness.

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A Gift for the Future

See how Chip Johnson is using his estate to cement his legacy in the city that holds his heart.

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Repaying 'Wee Favors'

Grace and Don Schmiedel are repaying "wee favors" and creating a legacy of support for UNLV. Their gifts will help ease the financial burden many students face with student loans.

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Lessons in Smart Charitable Giving

Emeritus Professor of Economics Mike Clauretie has figured out how to make sure more of his savings go to UNLV, and less to D.C.

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Special Connections

When Bette and Paul LaCombe moved to Las Vegas in the early 2000s, they weren't sure if the city could ever feel like home. It didn't take long for Las Vegas to feel like home and for Bette to find a special connection to UNLV.

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A Legacy of Opportunity

Victoria Mitchell has every reason to celebrate. She was one of four students from the inaugural class of Hixson-Lied Success Scholars to complete the program, and graduated from UNLV in 2016 with a B.S. in Business Administration.

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Setting the Stage

Mary Healy wasn't just a star of the silver screen. Thanks to her planned gift to the College of Fine Arts, she's also a shining star to aspiring performers at UNLV.

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Dean Emerita Takes Her Legacy Even Further

Public health is a true passion for Mary Guinan. As a founding dean of UNLV's School of Community Health Sciences, she has brought that passion to UNLV, which she has extended past her lifetime through a gift in her estate plan.

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Constructing a Legacy

Students enrolled in the College of Education will soon benefit from expanded scholarship and research opportunities thanks to the generosity of one long-time university supporter.

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A Healthy Dose of Generosity

Throughout their careers, Tim and Lisa Jones held positions that dealt with the health and well-being of others. Now retired, they are still helping to create a healthy environment for others with an estate gift to support research and education at UNLV.

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Student Sees Value in Early Planning

Sociology Ph.D. candidate Chris Conner is happy to talk about his research into the Electric Daisy Carnival — but he really lights up when he talks about his planned gift to UNLV.

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Rock-Solid Generosity

Professor emeritus Gene Smith's research has led him from Antarctica to South Africa and will soon take him to Manchuria. Find out why Smith has included a gift to UNLV in his estate plan.

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Reaching Higher Through Scholarship

Sometimes what seems like a casual conversation between teacher and student has an indelible impact. That is what happened when a young Edward Gordon was coming down the stairs in junior high school carrying an armload of library books.

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