Celebrated philanthropist Tensie Oldfather dies / LJWorld.com

Archive for Wednesday, October 3, 2007

October 3, 2007

Tensie Oldfather is named the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year in this March 2004 file photo. At left is chamber Chairman Larry McElwain. Oldfather, a noted Lawrence philanthropist, died Tuesday.

Well-known Lawrence philanthropist passes away

Hortense 'Tensie' Oldfather - known around Lawrence for her many charitable donations and contributions to the community - passed away Tuesday evening. Enlarge video

Hortense "Tensie" Oldfather never stopped giving.

During the last six weeks of her life, her name kept popping up in news articles describing acts of philanthropy.

Money to help preserve the Kansas prairie? Check.

A donation to help preserve an old windmill? Check.

Funds for a women's action group at Kansas University? Check.

Support for the River City Reading Festival? Check. The list goes on and on.

Giving was a habit for Oldfather. It was her $4 million gift in 2000 that established the Douglas County Community Foundation, which in recent years has provided grants and funding to more than three dozen nonprofit organizations across the community.

On Tuesday evening, Oldfather died at a Kansas City hospice. But her friends and colleagues said her generosity will live on.

"She was an extremely dynamic woman who believed in doing good," said Barbara Carswell, who served on the foundation's board with Oldfather.

Obituary information was not immediately available. But the outlines of her life were well-known, thanks to her long list of charitable acts.

She moved to Lawrence from Milwaukee in 1950, when her husband, Charles Oldfather Jr., joined the Kansas University law faculty. He died in 1996.

Over the years, Tensie Oldfather was active in Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, Head Start and the American Red Cross - she joked that she could walk down the street and identify passersby by blood type, thanks to the latter organization's blood drives.

Support for KU

And she loved KU. The couple donated millions of dollars to community organizations and KU, including the Oldfather Studios, which house KU's film department. She also gave $1 million to help Kansas Public Radio move into a new studio in 2002.

At a ceremony to honor Oldfather in 2005, KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway expressed his thanks.

"I am in debt to Tensie for her kindness, generosity and wisdom," he said.

Those who knew Oldfather said she lived simply, preferring to spend her money and energy in support of people and organizations that improved Lawrence.

"Through good fortune, her family obviously accumulated some wealth," said Monte Johnson, a member of the Douglas County Community Foundation board. "She made unbelievable use of those resources to benefit people, to benefit organizations, to benefit the university."

The foundation was perhaps her greatest legacy: Her $4 million gift had grown to a $10 million endowment by 2005, thanks to contributions from other individuals and businesses. The same year, the foundation made $186,000 in grants to 38 nonprofit organizations across the county.

"Her foresight ... and her amazing generosity in funding the foundation initially, provided the funds for the present and the future of Lawrence and Douglas County," said Chip Blaser, executive director of the foundation. "That's not just for this year or next year. That's for an ongoing basis."

That generosity inspired others, Blaser said.

"She really set a tone," he said. "Her spirit of giving led many others to be involved in philanthropy in the community. That's to her everlasting credit, and really will be her legacy."

Discussion

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3 October 2007
at 8:40 a.m.

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kubacker (Anonymous) says…

A truly good and selfless citizen of Lawrence.
3 October 2007
at 8:52 a.m.

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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

And while the big donations to the big organizations and causes are worthy of the praise she has been given, there were also countless small donations to small organizations that most of us never heard about.
3 October 2007
at 10:24 a.m.

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oldgoof (Anonymous) says…

Tensie…..and her late husband Charlie….. were both great gems. I meet people all over the state who have personal stories about these two.

To those who continually question tax support of the University on these boards (Godot, this specifically includes you), this is just one example of the wonderful people who would not have come to Kansas but for the reputation of KU.
3 October 2007
at 11:44 a.m.

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lawyerlee (Anonymous) says…

We were so lucky to have her in our community.
3 October 2007
at 9:08 p.m.

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bonnevolonte (Anonymous) says…

Tensie Oldfather was a frequent contributor to Lawrence Habitat for Humanity. In response to a request from Jean Lilley, who was then the executive director of LHfH, and Ardis Comfort, widow of General Clay Comfort, Tensie made a donation that remains the largest single gift Lawrence Habitat for Humanity has ever received. Her generous contribution to the Comfort Neighborhood of Habitat homes in North Lawrence will continue to bless many lives for decades to come.
4 October 2007
at 9:07 a.m.

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toefungus (Anonymous) says…

A good and kind person has left us.
4 October 2007
at 9:28 a.m.

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waydownsouth (Anonymous) says…

Her and her hsband were such nice people. My parents used to live down the road from them and i remember playing tennis and jumping on their trampoline. Sometimes they would come out and talk to us kids as we were jumping. Wonderful people that will be missed.