The College Heights Foundation Golf Classic Scholarship Fund was initiated in 1974 by a sponsoring committee made up of Emmons O. Pearson Jr., Robert M. Pearce, Harold B. McGuffey, and Herbert J. Smith. These four founders developed the idea of having a two-day golf...

Colonel Charles William “Bill” Crafton was born on March 3rd, 1927. A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, Bill lived there most of his life. He attended Owensboro High School, lettering in both basketball and football. After graduating in 1944, he came to WKU. While on...

Col. Norman D. Ehresman, originally from Mishawaka, Ind., graduated from Purdue University and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on Aug. 6, 1956. His first assignment was Battery Motor Officer of the 393rd Field Artillery Battalion. He joined the 100th Division...

Oscar Payne Cleaver was born on January 8, 1905, to Samuel Albert and Dora Shirley Cleaver. A Hart County, Kentucky, native, Oscar graduated from Horse Cave High School. He then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend Georgia Institute of Technology in 1924. He later...

Founded in 1904, Commonwealth Life Insurance Company was housed in the Commonwealth Building in Louisville, Kentucky. Commonwealth Life was intended to serve as a catalyst to economic development in Kentucky, and as a means to keep both business and capital within...

The Connie and Harry Largen Scholarship Fund was established as Christmas gifts from their children Harriet Lair, Kenneth Largen, Elizabeth Barlow, and James Largen and their families. Their children are proud graduates of W.K.U. Connie, a native of Frankfort, was...

Dr. Corban Goble was born April 21st, 1930, in Eastern Kentucky. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1952, at Berea College, a school very near where he grew up. Following his graduation, he married Harriet Cline in November 1953. He then went on to attain his...

Cornelius Martin was born to Herbert and Beatrice Tutt Martin. A Greenville, Kentucky native, there he attended a one-room school in the first and second grades and spent his childhood and teenage years working on the family farm. After graduating Muhlenberg Central...

To further give back to the community, Henry D. “H.D.” Corns established the Corns Truck and Tractor Co. Scholarship Fund in 1974. The fund assists deserving WKU students who are pursuing their educational objectives. Through this fund, the legacy of Corns Truck and...

The Crescent Youth Scholarship Fund was established in the College Heights Foundation on October 20, 1999. The fund will make scholarship awards to all participants of the youth bowling leagues sponsored by Crescent Bowling Lanes. Crescent Bowling Lanes operated for...

Michael Dale Augenstein was born October 11, 1958. Originally from Owensboro, Dale has been a dedicated Topper since his first days on the Hill. In addition to working on campus, he was a WKU Yell Leader, cheering on the football and basketball teams. He also was a...

Dr. David R. and Sandra A. Hartman spent their youth in Northwestern Illinois. While there, Sandra earned a diploma in nursing at Freeport Memorial Nursing School. David completed a Bachelor of Science in general science at North Central College in Naperville,...

Dr. David McMillian Coffey was born February 17, 1950, to parents J.D. and Lois Coffey. David spent his childhood years on the family farm in Cumberland County, near Burkesville, Kentucky. As a high school student, he was the first 4-H exchange student to go to...

David D. Crowe was born on February 22, 1944, to Gwen Hart Crowe and Sarah Oldham Crowe. A native of Hopkins County, Kentucky, David graduated from Madisonville High School. He then attended WKU, where he earned Bachelor’s, Master’s and Rank I degrees in mathematics,...

David Kent Brown was born February 17, 1959, to Mollie and Audrey Brown. David graduated from Franklin-Simpson High School before attending WKU, where he was an outstanding student. He tragically passed away in an automobile accident in 1979, during his sophomore...

This fund was established in 2011 to honor Mr. David Paul Gibson. This action recognizes Mr. Gibson for his many contributions to the area of music and demonstrates his belief in the importance of education. Recipients of the fund must be music majors with an...

Debra “Debbie” Sayres and Gerald “Skip” Sayres met in their senior year at Bardstown High School in Bardstown, Kentucky. After graduating in May of 1973, Debbie and Skip started their college careers at WKU. They were both active as students. Skip was a member of the...

Mr. Dennis D. Smith and Mrs. Sharon H. Smith were both born and raised in Barren County and graduated from Park City High School. They attended Western Kentucky University, married while in college, and participated in the WKU Work-Study Program. Dennis graduated in...

In the late 1970s, the Department of Chemistry faculty came together in an effort to honor several WKU Chemistry professors. Through donations made by Dow Chemical and a grant from the Eastman Kodak Company through its Educational Aid Program, the Chemistry...

Since WKU opened its doors in 1906, the liberal arts have been at the center of the university. Potter College of Arts & Letters (PCAL) is one of WKU’s five academic colleges, alongside the Mahurin Honors College. PCAL is rooted in the belief that understanding...

Dr. Donald Wycoff Bailey was born December 17, 1933 to V.C. and Juanita Raybourne Bailey. Donald graduated from Bosse High School in Evansville, Indiana before attending Vanderbilt University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1955. He then attended Emory...

Donald (Don) E. Collins was born to Mary and Cleo Collins. A graduate of Meade County High School, he launched his career as a reporter and editor at Western Kentucky University as a member of the College Heights Herald staff. Don credited the experience he received...

Mr. Donald Gary Durham was born March 21, 1949 in Yosemite, Kentucky. Don was a 1967 Casey County High School graduate. He was also a baseball player and graduate of Western Kentucky University, earning his B.S. in Physical Education in 1972. Don came to the Hill...

Dora M. Bates was the mother of Georgia Bates. Dora was known to be a caring, strong-willed lady, who reared her daughter in a loving, Christian home. Georgia often credited Dora as the reason why she experienced so much success in her life. Georgia was a longtime...

Dorothy Taylor Ballard was born September 3, 1920. Dorothy has lived in Williamstown, Kentucky all her life and graduated from Williamstown High School in 1938. She then graduated from WKU in 1942, earning degrees in English and music. After graduation, Dorothy...

Dr. Dorothy E. Reeves and Lester D. Reeves are long-time friends of WKU. Dorothy was born on March 28, 1924 to Lacy Leroy Ewing and Nannie Maude (Spears) Ewing Robertson. She graduated from WKU with her bachelor’s degree in history from the Potter College of Arts and...

Dr. Douglas Humphrey was born on September 2, 1938. He is a Kentucky native; he attended Livermore High School before graduating from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 1959, and then Ohio University in 1965. Upon obtaining his Ph.D., Dr. Humphrey began a long career at...

Dr. Alton Dean Little is a longtime fixture in the WKU and Bowling Green, Kentucky communities. Before earning his doctorate at the University of Georgia, Alton worked as a parks and recreation director. He then began his career at WKU in 1971 as a professor of...

Dr. Bill and Ginny Pfohl both taught in the Department of Psychology at WKU for a combined total of 74 years. Both native New Yorkers, Bill was born in Syracuse, and Ginny grew up in Brooklyn in New York City. They met at Saint Bonaventure University when they were...

Dr. Curtis Cary was born October 15, 1978, in Louisville, Kentucky. Although born and raised in southwestern Jefferson County, he was well acquainted with south central Kentucky through his parents and extended family that hailed from Cumberland County Kentucky. He...