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September 11, 2008

Wisdom Family Foundation presents gift to NWOSU for endowed faculty art chair

To many people, the late Grace Wisdom was a successful professional in the banking industry and a community leader.

Few people outside of her family knew one of her greatest passions — a love for the visual arts.

“We all have interests that provide balance in our lives,” said her daughter, Dr. Peggy Wisdom. “She had a passion for art.”

Grace Wisdom’s love of art and the family’s strong belief in education has led the Wisdom Family Foundation to present a gift of $250,000 to endow a faculty chair position in art at Northwestern Oklahoma State Univer-sity, giving new life to an academic program that was eliminated more than 20 years ago.

“As an institution with a foundation rooted in the liberal arts, the absence of an art program created a void in our academic offerings and limited creative outlets for students,” said Janet Cun-ningham, president of Northwestern. “This most generous gift from the Wisdom Family Foundation will support resurgence in the appreciation of art on our campus and provide a permanent reminder of Grace Wisdom’s support of the university and her love of art.”

Cunningham said the endowed chair will allow Northwestern to create an academic minor in art.

“The Wisdom Family Foundation provides a legacy for my family’s continuing interest in community development,” Peggy Wisdom said. “In the 1950s, my father (C.W. Wisdom) purchased Alva State Bank and moved the family to Alva. He felt the purchase would be a great match for his family’s bank in Okeene. He wanted to relocate to a college town and thought Alva would provide educational opportunities for his daughters that would not be available in other places.”

Grace Wisdom’s work in art began in college at Oklahoma A&M; during the mid-1940s. Though she pursued a degree in nursing, Wisdom enrolled in an art class and began creating her own works.

She also was a member of Alva First Presbyterian Church and was a 50-year member of P.E.O. International.

Wisdom died May 16 at age 83.

The gift from the Wisdom Family Foundation is eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match from Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education through its endowed chair program, making the impact of the gift $500,000 when fully matched.

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