Longtime Supporters Don and Louise Thomas Inspired Others to Make Legacy Gift

There are special people you meet who forever affect your life—people who inspire you to become more compassionate, more adventurous, and to work harder. And with family they instill values and traditions, building treasured memories that last beyond their lifetimes. This description epitomizes Don and Louise Thomas.

Don once brought their very young grandson Noah to an important gift discussion with the Ivy Tech Foundation. Before the meeting, Don encouraged Noah to “be good” during the meeting with a dollar bill. After the meeting, Noah told his grandpa that he wanted to give his dollar to the Ivy Tech Foundation to help others just like his grandma and grandpa were doing. Throughout their more than 30-year affiliation with Ivy Tech, Don and Louise demonstrated real passion, dedication, and perseverance for helping students and their community.

Serving the Ivy Tech Kokomo campus since 1986, Don volunteered on the local Ivy Tech Regional Development Council—and in 1996 he added to his support as an Ivy Tech Foundation board member where he served as 2007-08 chairperson and led several committees through the years.

On more than one occasion, Don and Louise provided gifts of property to the College. One parcel of land the Thomases donated during a Lilly Endowment match resulted in an additional $112,000. When friends Joe and Barbara Reed heard what Don and Louise had done for the Kokomo campus, they donated land too.

In 2013, as Ivy Tech celebrated its 50th Anniversary and the Thomases celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, Don challenged his fellow Foundation board members as he announced a leadership gift of $25,000 to establish an endowed scholarship called the “Don and Louise Thomas Scholarship.”

The Thomases’ history of giving and advocacy for Ivy Tech will affect students, faculty, the College, and the community for generations to come. We hope their generosity might inspire you to consider how you could make your own legacy gift to support the future of educational opportunities in your community.