By DONETTA ALLE
Two weeks after David M. Kennedy passed away, Brigham Young University’s David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies received a donation of more than $261,000 from the David M. Kennedy estate.
During his lifetime, Kennedy served as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, ambassador at large for the United States, U.S. ambassador to NATO and as a special representative to the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kennedy died May 1 at age 90.
R. Lanier Britsch, director of the Kennedy Center, said, “The new donation comes from an insurance policy David Kennedy assigned to the Kennedy Center several months before his death.”
Kennedy Center accountant, Allen Arnoldsen, said, “We knew we were the beneficiary of the life insurance policy, but we didn’t know when we would receive the funds.”
The principal of the gift will be placed in the center’s general endowment, and the annual interest of the funds will be used for the general use of the Center, said Arnoldsen.
From there, it will be used primarily for graduate studies, academic conferences and research, Britsch said.
Arnoldsen said a portion of the money will go toward scholarships and grants for international studies as well.
“What impressed all of us about the gift is not only the generosity of Ambassador Kennedy and his wife, but the charity of the family,” Britsch said.
Kennedy helped establish the center in 1983 with an endowment of more than $1 million. The center is now home of Culturgrams and the popular study abroad programs.
In addition to a wide range of undergraduate opportunities, the Kennedy Center offers graduate emphases in American studies, Asian studies, Near Eastern studies and international relations. The Center also offers joint graduate degrees with organizational behavior and MBA programs.
Others who would like to donate to the Kennedy Center in memory of David M. Kennedy are welcome to do so. For more information, contact the Kennedy Center at (801) 378-3378
