No matter what university you
look at, the best boosters of academics are often alumni. However, T.A. Mindrup, a graduate from
the Schilling Institute (now the Kansas State University-Salina College of
Technology and Aviation), has taken his financial support of his alma mater to
an entirely new level.
Mindrup created the T.A.
Mindrup Endowed Scholarship for students enrolled in the College of Technology
and Aviation at K-State-Salina with a commitment of $95,000. This is the largest single donation by
an alumnus in the history of K-State Salina campus. He was able to utilize the matching contribution program of
his former employer, Western Resources, Inc. Mindrup retired in 1998 after working nearly 30 years for
the company.
MindrupÕs story begins on
September 27, 1943, in New Almelo, Kansas. He was the second oldest in a family of eight children born
to Lawrence and Florence Mindrup, and grew up on the family farm. He attended
Leoville High School and several years after graduation served in the U.S. Army
for two years. In 1966, he left
the army and, with the GI bill, he began his studies at the Schilling Institute
in Salina.
While at the Institute,
Mindrup developed leadership skills he would use later in his life as the
Student Body President in 1969. He
also learned how to finish projects under a deadline through the classes and
labs at both the Schilling Institute and Kansas State University.
He graduated from Schilling
in 1969, with an associateÕs degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. He then became the first person to
complete a degree from Schilling and go on to K-State in Manhattan to earn a
bachelorÕs degree. In 1973, he earned
a dual bachelorÕs of science degree in electrical engineering and business
administration.
He began working for Kansas
Power and Light in 1969 as a student engineer, while at the same time attending
K-State. He continued working for
KPL for nearly 30 years, until his retirement in 1998. At the time of his retirement, he was
the director of Workforce and Public Safety.
The College of Technology and
Aviation honored Mindrup as an Alumni Fellow in 1997. In addition to serving on the Scholarship Campaign Committee
for the College of Technology and Aviation, he is also a member of the Electronic
Engineering Technology Advisory Committee.
Mindrup hopes the scholarship
he established will give students an opportunity to concentrate on studying
while in college without having to work as hard as he did. ÒItÕs just a return on the education I
received,Ó he said. ÒThe education
at K-State provided job opportunities which contributed to a successful career.
ItÕs all an attitude and a state of mind,Ó Mindrup said about his endeavor to
earn his degrees. ÒYou have to
make up your mind first, and then you will find a way to do it.Ó
ÒT.A. Mindrup is truly a leader who looks to the future,Ó Dennis Kuhlman, dean of the College of Technology and Aviation said. ÒThrough a lifetime of hard work and sound investment and with his generous spirit, he has given a gift that will help our students achieve their own educational goals. We are very proud of him and sincerely appreciate his generosity.Ó