Kleinschmidts Establish Their Valpo Legacy with Blended Gift

Barbara Rudesill ‘79 Kleinschmidt and Mark Kleinschmidt ‘78

Valparaiso University has always been a big part of Mark Kleinschmidt ’78 and Barbara Kleinschmidt’s ’79 lives. Not only did Mark’s older brother attend the University, but Barb’s grandfather attended Indiana Normal School during its transition to Valparaiso University. Barb says, “A herd of cattle was donated to cover his education costs to enable him to eventually become an internal medicine physician who participated in developing insulin for Eli Lilly.” The Kleinschmidt’s met at Valpo in 1975, Barb’s freshman year and Mark’s sophomore year, and were engaged by the end of the following academic year.

“At Valpo, I was surrounded by so many positive people who encouraged me,” Barb explains, “I really admired some of the professors I had. I thrived at Valpo, and it’s an experience I am so grateful to have. I’ve made lifelong friends with whom I still keep in contact. It had a huge effect on our lives and still does today. It’s incredible how four years of your life can impact the rest of your life. We were thrilled when two of our children decided to attend Valpo too.”

The Kleinschmidts were determined to leave a lasting legacy at Valpo. They initially made an estate commitment to fund an endowed scholarship in their family name. However, after careful consideration, they realized they could also make an immediate impact by creating the scholarship during their lifetime, with the balance of the estate gift adding to the fund in the future.

This blended gift allows Mark and Barb to see the impact of their scholarship now while also knowing that their future gift will have a more significant impact later on. Mark explains, “We wanted to make a solid pledge that would be met, no matter what. With this plan, we have the opportunity to accelerate the timetable as we are able, should the stock market positively fluctuate or other blessings could occur.” He continues, “It’s a good feeling for us to be able to continue to support Valpo, as we continue to be blessed to be a blessing to others in return!”

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