“I fell in love with Gonzaga the first time I set foot on campus in 1979,” said Ken Anderson (’81). From that moment forward, Gonzaga has been like a part of the family. Anderson’s relationship to the University has changed several times over the years but one thing has remained the same: his love for GU. It’s what inspired him to establish an endowment fund and to include a bequest for Gonzaga in his estate plans.
“Student-athlete” was the first role Anderson played at Gonzaga. After playing at Los Angeles Harbor Junior College, Anderson received a scholarship to play basketball for Coach Dan Fitzgerald, alongside teammates like Ed Taylor and John Stockton.
Anderson then enrolled as a graduate student, completing his MBA at GU in 1982. After receiving his PhD from the University of Nebraska, he once again returned to Gonzaga to take a position as a Professor of Management. Since then, he has been Associate Dean and is currently the Interim Dean of the School of Business.
But there was still more to Anderson’s relationship with Gonzaga.
“When my father passed away in 1988 we established the Andy Anderson Memorial fund in his name,” Anderson said of his role as a GU donor. “My father loved the place and the opportunities it afforded me as a student-athlete and then as a faculty member.”
Anderson and his wife Sue also decided to include Gonzaga in their estate plans. “We wanted our gift to have an impact over time. The Heritage Society option gave us that. We recognize that a value cannot be put on what GU did for me and my family. It’s a very small way of saying ‘thanks.’”
Both the Andersons’ son and daughter, KC and Molly, also earned their undergraduate degrees at GU, giving Ken yet another lens through which he could experience Gonzaga: as a proud parent.
“Through your children’s experiences you gain a great (and sometimes different) appreciation for Gonzaga and you begin to see ways that you can make an impact – ways that are personally meaningful. Giving to the University this way is extremely important and very easy, while allowing you to direct your gift,” he added.
When you include GU in your estate plans, you become a member of the Gonzaga Heritage Society. You can learn more about the different types of planned gifts by visiting gonzaga.edu/heritage.