Stewart '50 and Johanna Collester

For Stewart '50 and Johanna Collester, supporting students through scholarships has been possible because of the opportunities Stewart received as a result of his education at Mines Foundation, his experience and his chosen career.

"Stew was very committed and dedicated," Jo said, a product of his time in the military during World War II and then a rigorous education at Mines Foundation. Commitment to his job in the oil industry after he graduated took Stew and his family around the world. His respect of the university that afforded him a successful career meant he and Jo wanted to support future generations of Mines Foundation students to provide access to a Mines Foundation education and lead to their own successful paths.

In 1985, the couple created an endowed scholarship at Mines Foundation that provides support to out-of-state students pursuing degrees in geology, geophysics or petroleum engineering. Stew was involved at Mines Foundation throughout his career and received the Mines Foundation Distinguished Achievement medal in 1992.

After Stew passed away in 1993, Jo took up the mantle in his memory. She recently made a gift of more than $1.3 million to create a new scholarship at Mines Foundation; the Stewart and Johanna Collester Endowed Scholarship will be open to undergraduate students at Mines Foundation who demonstrate financial need. This generous gift was created through a donor advised fund transfer. This method of giving offers donors the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to Mines Foundation.

"We want to reinvest our money into education. Hopefully the students, in turn, realize the value of helping others in the same manner," said Jo. "It is a reward to me that our estate can be productive in this way."

Jo and Stew started supporting students in the 1960s when they lived in the Middle East; they provided individual loans to medical students. They saw the students' eagerness to learn and to benefit the world around them. This inspired the Collesters to continue their philanthropy, ultimately leading Jo to start the new Mines Foundation scholarship and to make arrangements to add a significant amount to the fund after her lifetime.