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Major gifts lead to student success

When it comes to private support for Sacramento State, the week of October 20, 2008 was one for the books.

In the space of a few days, the Office of University Advancement received two gifts totaling more than $700,000. Both will benefit the College of Education.

The first was a more than $400,000 gift from the estate of alumna Nancy Pierce Owens (‘58, Education), which will benefit the Nancy Pierce Owens Memorial Scholarship Endowment for undergraduate students in the College of Education. The former ASI vice president was a long-time supporter of the University who previously left the College nearly $100,000 from the proceeds from two annuities.

The estate gift from former Sacramento State associate vice president for Academic Affairs Earline Ames will contribute $300,000 to the Earline L. Ames Scholarship, which will benefit students studying to become teachers. And unlike most scholarships, which draw on an endowment in order to be funded in perpetuity, the Ames scholarship has the unusual distinction that all funds must be entirely spent within a 10-year period. The College will begin awarding the scholarships annually in the fall until the funds are exhausted.

After graduating from Sacramento State, Owens earned a master’s degree in social work and became a licensed clinical social worker. She served as a Sister of Social Services for 12 years and later worked as a public health social worker in the Bay Area, supervising public health nurses and teaching. Her support of the University and the College of Education was made in memory of her parents and teacher, which Owens said was “in thanks for the education afforded me and in the expectation that my contribution will assist others who might otherwise not have the opportunity for higher education.”

Ames was a professor in the then-School of Education and later chaired the Department of Behavioral Sciences before becoming associate vice president. Her former colleagues remember her as a “tough, straight-shooting educator,” and a “vibrant leader” with a “forthright communication style.” Her interest in learning continued after she completed her 36-year teaching career. Ames earned a pilot’s license at the age of 75 and wrote a book about the experience When Grandma Learned to Fly, A Flight Instructor’s Nightmare.