Lloyd Trauer, Fort Hays State University graduate, has announced that he is leaving his entire estate, valued at more than half a million dollars, for FHSU elementary education student scholarships.
Trauer met with, Dr. Edward Hammond, FHSU president, in Kansas City Wednesday to officially confirm the gift.
“Lloyd’s generosity is a clear indication of his belief in Fort Hays State,” Hammond said, in a press release.
“He represents our history of producing quality teachers and administrators, and he knows that with our current faculty, we are making a significant difference in the lives of elementary students in the western half of the state of Kansas,” Hammond said.
“I’m very happy to be able to provide an education for students in western Kansas,” Trauer said in a press release.
Trauer is a member of the Wooster Society, named for the fourth FHSU president, Lyman Dwight Wooster. The organization seeks to honor individuals who arrange gifts to the FHSU Foundation through planned giving.
Trauer came to FHSU and earned a two-year teaching certificate. He was then recruited to return to Utica, his hometown, where he especially enjoyed teaching young children. Over the 11 years he was teaching in Utica, he returned to FHSU during the summers to complete his bachelor’s degree. He later earned a master’s degree at the University of Kansas.
Trauer, graduated FHSU in 1960 and retired as a principal from the Shawnee Mission School District in 1991. He has stipulated his estate be used to endow scholarships for elementary education majors. Preference will be given to students from west of Salina, but the scholarships will be open to anyone in elementary education.