Westminster College Receives $4.4 Million Bequest

For Immediate Release

CONTACT Sarah Backer
ORGANIZATION Westminster College
PHONE Office: (573) 592-5438; Cell: (573) 220-9038
EMAIL Sarah.Backer@westminster-mo.edu
WEB wcmo.edu

Fulton, Mo.—Jan. 31, 2020: President Fletcher Lamkin announced today that Westminster College has received a $4.4 million bequest from the estate of alumnus Charles Scott Griesa, Class of 1949, of Walnut Creek, CA.

An economics major and member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Griesa was a loyal alumnus who gave consistently to Westminster for nearly three decades.

Born on March 1, 1924, Griesa was raised in Kansas City, MO. He passed away on June 1, 2006, and was survived by a brother who died in 2017.

Immediately after graduating from Westminster, Griesa earned an MBA from Harvard University. He then worked as a financial broker and investor for Stone & Webster Securities and American Investors Corporation before his retirement in 1999. He served the College as a member of the Westminster Alumni Council.

The monumental gift earmarked for Westminster from Griesa’s estate comes as a welcome contribution to the College. President Fletch Lamkin says that the gift represents the steadfast devotion of many Westminster alumni.

“Westminster College graduates are known for loyalty to their alma mater,” Lamkin reflects, adding, “It warms our hearts at the College to witness Mr. Griesa’s generosity and devotion to the great small college that helped establish his successful career so many years ago.”

The generous gift will be invested in Westminster Futures, which is a strategic vision for building a platform on which the College can grow and secure the future through the institution’s evolving Professional Liberal Arts emphasis.

Lamkin emphasizes that it is inspiring that an alumnus from such a long time ago ― whose time at Westminster overlapped with Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech on campus nearly 75 years ago ― will leave a lasting legacy on the school that was dear to him.

“Charles Griesa is an unsung hero who deserves our respect and recognition for helping an institution that has stood for tradition and excellence since its founding more than a century and a half ago,” Lamkin says.

Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster College in Fulton, MO, is ranked prestigiously by U.S. News & World Report as a National Liberal Arts College. The institution is in the top 15 percent for graduate earnings and boasts a 97 percent placement rate. Westminster also is a Forbes Best Value College. Westminster focuses on educating and inspiring students to find the power in their purpose in order to become the world leaders of tomorrow.

To find out more about Westminster, visit our website here.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573 592-5438, 573-220-9038 or Sarah.Backer@westminster-mo.edu.

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