this is our moment: campaign proves that giving - Morningside College

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IN HONOR OF HIS PARENTS: “YOU CAN START SMALL” Jesse and Elizabeth Ducommun people think they have to make a lot of money before they can donate a sizeable amount, but that’s not true,” said Donald Ducommun 1961. “You can start small. “Often My father started a scholarship fund with $1,000, which today is a very nice size.” His father, the late Jesse Ducommun 1927, established the Jesse C. and Elizabeth B. Ducommun Endowed Scholarship Fund in 1965. Today it is worth more than $1.1 million and provides substantial scholarships to Morningside College students each year. ‘”My father didn’t specify that the recipient be an ‘A’ student or study any specific major,” said Ducommun, who is chair of the college’s Florida Alumni Gifts Campaign Committee. “He left that entirely up to the college to decide.” One year after the scholarship fund was started, his father passed away. “I looked at the scholarship when he died, and it wasn’t very big,” said Donald Ducommun. “But I thought this is the way I can honor my parents and give back to the college. I’ve been taking care of the fund since then, and my son is going to look after it when I am gone.” While two sizeable gifts from his parents’ estates were made to the fund, most of the growth has come from interest income, his annual gifts, and matching gifts made by his employer, Amoco Oil Company. Ducommun, who recently retired as the company’s senior territory manager, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Morningside. He recalled that he had to pay $400 tuition for his first semester of college and that someone on campus said to him: “You are only paying 25 percent of what it costs to educate you. The rest of your education is being paid for by alumni and friends of the college.” He never forgot that and said, “It’s one reason I want to give back to the college. It’s still true today—students can’t pay for everything, even if they work. It’s the generosity and benevolence of other people that has made it possible for Morningside College to have a devoted faculty and the facilities needed to educate students.” His father worked his way through college, attending Morningside for three years before transferring to the University of Iowa to complete his engineering degree. “My father used to ride 50 miles one way on a bicycle on weekends to do carpentry work in order to pay his way through school,” Donald Ducommun said. “The Ducommun coat of arms has the motto, ‘Nothing without work.’ My parents exemplified that in their lives. They were very high achievers and excelled at whatever they did.” At Morningside, his father found time to serve as radio announcer for the college’s 100-watt station, KFMR. His uncle, Walter Ducommun, built the set and served as radio operator for the station. The station broadcast, among other programs, chapel services, student recitals, and basketball tournaments. Jesse Ducommun had always wanted to be a teacher but was unable to support his family on a teacher’s salary, so he began working in the oil industry. He eventually served on the board of Standard Oil and then as vice president of manufacturing at the American Oil Company. As recently as June of 2005, he was noted in the journal Chemistry and Industry by author Trevor Kletz for leading Amoco in being one of the first companies to try to prevent commonly recurring accidents on the job. To that end, Ducommun published a series of nine books from 1955 to 1964 that used simple language and illustrations to show how these accidents could be prevented. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 MORNINGSIDER | 19
“IN RECOGNITION OF THE COLLEGE’S CONTRIBUTION” Ron 1970 and Jeannette Yockey, of Dakota Dunes, S.D., made the naming gift for the renovation of the community meeting room in the Olsen Student Center. The couple has named the room the Yockey Family Community Room. He said, “I’d like to dedicate the room in recognition of the family’s association with Morningside College and the college’s contribution to the success and careers of our family.” Yockey, president of Beef Products, Inc. (BPI), earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and physics from Morningside. He is a member of the college’s board of directors and serves on the Siouxland Business Gifts Committee for the college’s campaign. His father, Dr. William C. Yockey 1949, professor emeritus of chemistry at Morningside, retired in 1989 after some 32 years of teaching at the college and working as an environmental consultant. His sister Janet Fleckenstein 1978, a sixth-grade teacher who works and resides in Sergeant Bluff, received her Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree from Morningside. His sister Pamela Schulz 1977, of South Sioux City, Neb., is a teacher at West Middle School in Sioux City. His brother, Randy Yockey 1973, is director of quality assurance at Chesterman Co. in Sioux City. Ron Yockey has been at BPI for 23 years and worked for the company in California and Texas before returning to the Sioux City area. Previously, he served as director of engineering at Knox Gelatin for one year and as manager of by-product development at Iowa Beef Packers, Inc. (IBP) for 15 years. He is a member of the advisory board for Process Technology Xchange (PTX), the food and beverage industry’s process and packaging technology event. He has a son, Eric, and two grandchildren. “THESE ARE THE BEST PEOPLE TO BE AROUND” Dave “Lags” Lageschulte 1973, of Fort Myers, Fla., made the naming gift for the construction of a new apartmentstyle residence hall, which will be home to Morningside’s new leadership academy. The new hall, located south of the Waitt and Poppen Apartments, will house 60 students and will be open for the fall 2007 semester. Morningside officially broke ground on Lags Hall on Saturday morning, Sept. 23. In spite of the chilly and rainy weather, the tone of the event, attended by faculty, staff, and students, was warm and lighthearted. It was, as Morningside President John Reynders noted, “a celebration of Morningside’s future.” Lags spoke to the group and said, “I came to Morningside in 1969 right off an Iowa farm, and, boy was I excited. For one thing, I didn’t have to do chores any more.” When the laughter subsided, he continued: “I can remember coming to the first freshman class—we still wore beanies back then—and going up and down Roadman Hall and meeting 20 | MORNINGSIDER Jensen Softball Complex Yockey Family Community Room Yockey Family Community Room, ceilings in progress Fred Erbes 1962, Jim Walker 1970, John Reynders, Dave Lageschulte 1973, and Leah Winter MORNINGSIDER | 20 BY JAN DEHNER
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this is our moment: campaign proves that giving - Morningside College

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