Gift to Alma Mater
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Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 16:29:08 -0500
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From: Joe Carr <joe_...@ADMIN.UMEAD.MAINE.EDU>
Subject: Kings Announce Gift
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Kings Announce Gift
#001#
Feb. 7, 1997
Contact: John Diamond at (207) 581-3743
AUTHORS STEPHEN AND TABITHA KING MAKE $1 MILLION GIFT TO UMAINE
FOR FACULTY POSITIONS AND STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
ORONO, Maine - Best-selling authors Stephen and Tabitha King on Friday
handed a $1 million check to University of Maine English Professor Burton
Hatlen -- Stephen's former teacher and for nearly 30 years the Kings' personal
friend -- to help their alma mater bolster its liberal arts and sciences
offerings
and to provide merit based student scholarships.
Half of the $1 million will be spent to hire new faculty members in several
academic areas. The other half of the gift will be used to financially support
academically talented and motivated students.
Appearing at a news conference at UMaine's performing arts center, the
Kings said they made the donation in response to several years of underfunding
of UMaine by state government. The Kings said they had been contemplating
making such a gift for a long time.
"I came to the University of Maine and graduated because of the scholarship
help I received," said Stephen King, clad in a University of Maine sweatshirt.
"There was no way I could afford it without scholarship help. I just wanted
to give something back."
In addition, the Kings pledged an additional $1 million gift to UMaine for each
of
the next three years. They said renewal of the gift depends only on how
effectively their donation addresses scholarship and faculty hiring issues.
The
Kings also said they want to see how responsive state policy makers are to
enhancing UMaine's quality and resources as the state's land-grant university
by increasing state support for public higher education.
However, both authors said they hope that state policy makers will not view
their gift as a substitute for state dollars.
"Good education is good business," Stephen King said, encouraging support for
public higher education in Maine. "Let's get back to the business of educating
boys and girls from Maine."
Added Tabitha King, "Invest in your children and they will return that
investment
to you."
Flanked by UMaine President Frederick E. Hutchinson and Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Provost Judith I. Bailey, the Kings handed their $1
million
check to Hatlen, a 30-year member of the university's English faculty and
currently the interim dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. Hatlen first
met Stephen King in 1968, when King was a student in Hatlen's American
Literature class. This teacher-student relationship grew into a friendship
between the Hatlens and the Kings, one which continues.
Describing his relationship with the Kings, Hatlen reflected on the changes
in the Kings' life since they and Hatlen were involved in a UMaine poetry
writing group almost three decades ago.
"Since then, both of them have gone on to spectacular careers as writers,"
Hatlen remarked. "But for me they remain -- at one level at least -- just
Steve and Tabby, those vulnerable but astonishingly resilient kids I first
came to know these many years ago.
"Today's gift represents a vote of confidence in the quality of the education
that the university offers to the people of this state," Hatlen said. "This
moment says to all aspiring high school students in this state that the
education
which this university offers can carry you as far as you want to go," he
added.
Praising the Kings' widespread philanthropy as the acts of "citizens dedicated
to the pursuit of the public good," Hutchinson gave credit to Hatlen "for being
the kind of person who could inspire such concern, commitment, and loyalty
in others.
"The bond between the Kings and the University of Maine is deeply rooted in
the relationship between an aspiring novelist and a caring professor of English
dedicated to helping his extremely gifted student achieve his goals,"
Hutchinson
said.
Bailey added, "Your support of faculty positions in the arts, humanities, and
social sciences will strengthen our liberal arts programs, which form the
foundation of our undergraduate education programs for all students."
Stephen King attended UMaine from 1966 to 1970. He earned a B.S. in
Education and was well known on campus as a featured columnist for the
university's student-run newspaper. King has sold more than 100 million
copies of his horror novels around the world, making him the world's most
widely read author.
From 1967 to 1971, Tabitha King attended UMaine, from which she earned a
B.A. in History. She has authored several books, including the widely praised
"One on One."
Both Stephen and Tabitha King were awarded honorary doctoral degrees from
the University of Maine in 1987.
---------------------
Murielle L. Sey
Hey! Alright! Three Cheers for the Kings!
Hip hip... Hooray!
Hip hip... Hooray!
Hip hip... Hooray!
Hugs
Murielle
Sven Anders Robbestad
[<SA...@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>]:
>AUTHORS STEPHEN AND TABITHA KING MAKE $1 MILLION GIFT TO UMAINE
>FOR FACULTY POSITIONS AND STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
Thanks for posting this, Sauda. It warms my heart to hear of such generosity.
Kings, you are the greatest. :)
Sven
--
Sven Anders Robbestad, sv...@ipec.no
http://www.sn.no/~svena (personlig hjemmeside/personal home page)
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