Mabeth Gyllstrom’s idea seemed perfect from the beginning.

Her mother, Lillian Evavold Saure, dedicated her life to caring for others. After completing nursing school, Lillian’s first nursing job was with Wright Memorial Hospital in Fergus Falls. Her rise in the nursing field eventually led her to become the first licensed administrator of what was then called Pioneer Memorial Home.

Mabeth grew up watching her mother work. She remembered as a child spending time at the nursing home, encouraged by her mother to visit elders and lead them in hymn singing. Mabeth had a strong admiration for her mother and her work.

Mabeth went on to college and built her own successful career as a professor of music at St. Cloud State University. For two years during that time, her mother’s role at Pioneer became that of a resident, bringing Mabeth back to the nursing home to visit.

After retiring, Mabeth and her husband, Dick, moved back to the area. Mabeth was drawn to continue her relationship with Pioneer. She served on the Auxiliary and later joined the Foundation board of directors.

Among her many friends and colleagues, Mabeth was known for using her creative ability to move mountains. Seeing the need to inspire more people to enter nursing careers, Mabeth put two and two together: she could honor Lillian’s legacy by creating a nursing scholarship fund.

Once her idea began to gel, Mabeth met with a representative from PioneerCare Foundation to talk through the details and draft a simple agreement. By doing that, she knew the organization would understand her vision. She began by providing seed money to establish the fund and continued making annual donations designated for that purpose. These gifts gradually increased the fund’s capacity to do more.

Years later, Mabeth invited the director of the Foundation for a cup of coffee at her kitchen table. Mabeth recalled the pride she felt as a girl, knowing her mother was well respected in her career as a nurse. Together they reviewed her plans for the fund. Mabeth shared that she had also named the Foundation as a beneficiary of her retirement account.

Based on her vision, students today receive generous scholarship awards to pursue nursing careers and will continue indefinitely. In that way, both Lillian and Mabeth’s work has become a legacy.

Inga Johnson was born in 1902 in Elizabeth Township, near Fergus Falls. After completing grade school in Elizabeth, Inga attended Park Region College in Fergus Falls and Dakota Business College in Fargo. She was employed at DeLendrecie’s Department Store in Fargo, and at the First National Banks in Mayville and McIntosh, North Dakota and Two Medicine Chalet in Glacier National Park.

In 1937 Inga’s brother Charles purchased the Lake Alice Grocery in Fergus Falls and Inga joined him. She worked for 50 years at the store—into her 80s—and 10 years after Charles died.

When Inga reached 90 years of age—and having been in and out of nursing homes several times—she planned her estate. With legal counsel, Inga established a living trust to manage her assets and contain her estate plan. She provided management of her assets for the years she expected to be in a nursing home. Inga planned to make appropriate gifts to relatives, local friends and associates, and charities – as the success of her investments permitted. Inga also decided to establish a permanent endowment fund to provide benefits, in perpetuity, for people living in and around the Fergus Falls area.

Inga also made a will, which was designed to reduce or eliminate income tax and death taxes and to provide maximum benefits for her friends, family and chosen charities.

For many years, Inga had contributed to nonprofit organizations in the Fergus Falls area. And, for the rest of her days – and beyond – she continues that support. The Inga M. Johnson Endowment Fund, at WCI, is a key instrument in fulfilling her wishes.

Inga died in October 1998 at the age of 96. Before her death, she had contributed $130,000 over seven years to the endowment fund. Inga received an income tax deduction for the amount of the gift that she was able to make each year from the annual earnings of her investments.

These gifts gradually increased the size of the endowment. Inga reduced her income tax liability by the deductible charitable gifts she made to WCI and other charities.

Upon her death, Inga also left a residuary portion of her estate, further increasing the Inga M. Johnson Endowment Fund to over three-quarters of a million dollars. By doing so, she accomplished another goal – to eliminate all death taxes on her estate.

The Fergus Falls 544 Education Foundation received a $110,000 gift from the estate of Karen (Kielmeyer) Matteson, a former Fergus Falls resident and 1960 graduate of Fergus Falls High School. “This gift was a complete surprise,” said Mindy Fuder, the Foundation’s Executive Director, “and we will use part of the gift to fund some of the grant requests that went unfunded last fall. The Foundation’s mission is to raise, invest and grant money to support educational programs, and this generous gift will benefit so many students and classrooms!”

Karen Kielmeyer attended grade school at McKinley Elementary School. As she grew, she developed a special fondness for English and was known to be an excellent typist. Those skills were put to good use as part of “The Otter” and yearbook staffs. Karen was also a member of the choir, Secretaries of Tomorrow Association, National Honor Society, Red Cross and Pep Club, and even had a role in a Thespian play. In addition, she would help Margaret Kratzke in the office, running the switchboard during her study hall.

Karen returned to Fergus Falls a few years after graduation to care for her ailing parents. It was during this time she became a secretary in the FFHS Counseling Office. While working at the high school, she became a dear friend of another FFHS teacher, Grace Halcrow.

After the passing of her parents, Karen left Fergus Falls, found a job and met her husband Jack. Even while living in Sarasota, FL, Karen helped out with the Class of 1960 reunion planning and classmates would visit when they were in the “neighborhood”. Jack passed away in 1998 and shortly thereafter, Karen moved to North Carolina, where she lived until her death in November 2018.

The Foundation’s Grant and Scholarship Committee funded six additional grant requests and carefully selected those that were in line with interests Karen had while she was a Fergus Falls student. To honor Karen’s love for music, funds were given to the Middle School Band Program to buy a new trombone and to provide money for the instrument repair fund. In line with her time putting together yearbooks, her donation helped buy 6 Mac Book Pros to be used by current yearbook staff and students. In addition, grants were awarded to fund various technology needs: 20 Chromebooks and a cart for the Alternative Learning Center, six iPad minis and cases for EACH kindergarten class at McKinley Elementary School, four iPads for a 3rd grade classroom at Cleveland Elementary School and three mobile Chromebook labs to be used throughout Kennedy Secondary School.

“I saw tears from more than one teacher when I told them their grants would receive funding because of this wonderful gift,” said Mindy, “and we hope Karen’s family would be proud of how her gift was used to benefit the students and teachers in areas that were important to her. We are beyond grateful for this gift.”

The late Jon Rosengren, a member of the Fergus Falls High School Class of 1957 never forgot the quality education he received in the Fergus Falls community. With that in mind, he included Fergus Area College Foundation in his estate planning.

A scholarship fund in his name and in the name of his father, Chester Rosengren, provides significant scholarship support to Fergus Falls High School graduates who choose to attend the Fergus Falls campus of M State. Scholarships have been between $2,000-$2,500 each year.

“Jon believed strongly in the importance of a college education,” said his close friend and fellow 1957 FFHS graduate Dayton Soby who provided encouragement in the development of this scholarship funding plan.

All of the Rosengren funds are coordinated through the Fergus Area College Foundation — for which Dayton’s late father, B.K. Soby, was a long-time board member.

The fund is expected to grow substantially to benefit even more FFHS grads in the future. Jon Rosengren, survived by his wife, Rosemary, had no children of his own. Were he alive today, he’d be most proud of his gift of education.

His father, Chet, was a renowned attorney in Fergus Falls and son Jon followed in his father’s footsteps. Jon worked as an attorney for several national financial firms before becoming an independent financial advisor.

“He devoted his entire career to assisting individual clients with their financial needs,” Dayton Soby said. “It’s wonderful that students from Jon’s high school can receive the Chester G. Rosengren and C. Jon Rosengren Scholarship for both their first and second years at the college in his hometown.”

Longtime sports fans remember Jon Rosengren as the center on the 1957 Fergus Falls High School basketball team that took third place in the state tournament and finished the year with a 27-1 record, the best in school history.

Jon grew up along East Vernon Avenue and East Mount Faith Avenue in Fergus Falls. As a grade school kid he and other youths from nearby Jefferson School practiced shooting basketballs at the Rosengren home.

For many years Rosengren was remembered best for his talents on the basketball court. He’ll still be remembered for that — along with his magnificent gift to help FFHS students attend classes at MSCTC, Fergus Falls.

The Fergus Area College Foundation has come a long way since the early organizers such as the late B.K. Soby, Bob Bigwood, Earl Williams and others started the foundation in the mid-1960s.

The foundation has played a major role in the success of students for close to 60 years — through the generosity of individuals and organizations. Jon Rosengren left a precious gift to his hometown.