Chris Gruber Announcement - Memorial Service Information Still Pending
Sarah Hicks
This message best viewed in HTML format.
CVM loses Director of Development Chris Gruber in Plane Crash
[Chris Gruber]
Chris Gruber
1972-2013
CVM Director of Development
2006-2013
A day trip turned tragic as the CVM lost its director of development, Chris Gruber, in a plane crash April 7 at Collinsville, Okla. Chris was accompanying a family friend, Dr. Ronald Marshall, who was a retired physician. Dr. Marshall owned and piloted the plane.
"Chris Gruber was a wonderful man," Dean Ralph Richardson said. "He loved life. He loved his family. He will be deeply missed. He was a wonderful face for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Kansas State University."
Chris joined the staff of the KSU Foundation in December 2004 as a development officer for the CVM. Prior to joining the foundation staff, Chris worked for seven years at The Saint Francis Academy in Salina, where he directed the program for foster care recruitment and training. Chris held a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Kansas Wesleyan University, also in Salina.
In March 2006, Chris was promoted to the position of director of development for the CVM. In this role, he led a team of development professionals who worked with K-State alumni and friends to secure philanthropic contributions for the college. During the period of time Chris served the university in this role, he was responsible for raising nearly $25 million for the CVM. Chris also worked to facilitate partnerships between the college and some of the country's largest animal health and nutrition companies. He was instrumental in the development of a "Grateful Client" program that allows donors to give back to the Veterinary Health Center that they benefited from.
Chris was a friend to so many of the donors he worked with. He touched the lives of so many while helping match their passions and philanthropic goals with opportunities at K-State. His love for animals came through in his professional dedication to advancing the CVM. He is survived by his wife, Kai, and three children: Ethan, Aiden and Abigail.
Memorial funds have been established, one through the KSU Foundation, online at www.found.k-state.edu/memorials/
gruber<http://www.found.k-state.edu/memorials/gruber>), or by mail to the College of Veterinary Medicine, 103 Trotter Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, with checks payable to the "KSU Foundation." Another memorial fund is available at Sunflower Bank (Gruber Family Benefit Fund), 2710 Anderson Ave., Manhattan, KS, 66502, with these checks payable to "Kai Gruber."
More details regarding services are forthcoming from Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home. For other questions, please contact the Development and Alumni Office at 785-532-4378 or 785-532-4043.
[CVM logo]
K-State College of Veterinary Medicine
103 Trotter Hall
Manhattan, Kansas
66506-6015
785-532-4378
----- End forwarded message -----
--
Sarah E. Hicks, DVM
Indian Hills Animal Clinic
1448 N. Maize Rd Ste 200
Wichita, KS 67212
316-722-6444