Memories of being inspired by an iconic professor who could make geography "come alive" and hold a student's interest in an early morning lecture on the history of western civilization have inspired a $2.5 million charitable gift commitment to permanently endow and name an Academic Chair in the St. Ambrose University History Department in honor of that professor, Agnes C. Renner.
John L. Butler, a Muscatine, Iowa native, graduated in 1971 summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and went on to receive a Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Butler was on the original staff of US Representative Jim Leach (R-Iowa) in Washington, DC, and later held senior positions with the US House Committee on Banking, Treasury Department, Federal Home Loan Bank Board, National Credit Union Administration, KPMG Peat Marwick, and Lehman Brothers.
Butler established the Agnes C. Renner Chair in History in partnership with his spouse Holly E. Herman. She is a former chief of staff to the chairman of the National Credit Union Administration and president and CEO of the Kraft Foods Federal Credit Union.
The gift was announced Sept. 30, 2020 at a news conference in the Rogalski Center, Gottlieb Conference Room.
"We always are humbled by a gift of this magnitude, particularly coming from a member of our St. Ambrose alumni," said Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, president of the university. "Like many others, this gift honors the impact a St. Ambrose education has had on a lifetime, and especially the influence a great and dedicated educator can have on a student."
Honoring Agnes Renner
Professor Dan LaCorte, PhD, will serve a two-year tenure as the inaugural Agnes C. Renner Chair in History.
Agnes C. Renner joined the St. Ambrose history and geography faculty in 1946 and taught there until her death in 1973. She received a Distinguished Service Certificate from St. Ambrose in 1971, and, in 1970, she was among three St. Ambrose faculty members honored as "Outstanding Educators of America."
Butler, who came to St. Ambrose after earning valedictorian honors at his Catholic high school in Muscatine, Iowa, never forgot the outstanding experience he had as a student in Renner's classroom.
"As a St. Ambrose freshman, Miss Renner always kept my interest during her 8 a.m. western civilization class," he said. "Miss Renner made her geography courses come alive based on her many foreign travels.
"Miss Renner cared about her students succeeding at St. Ambrose and beyond. Holly and I are very happy to support St. Ambrose University deservedly naming an academic chair in Miss Renner's honor."
The Agnes C. Renner Chair in History joins a growing number of academic endowments at St. Ambrose. The endowment annually will cover the salary and benefits of a history faculty member, chosen on a rotating basis, who will teach a reduced class schedule to accommodate scholarship research that ultimately will augment faculty knowledge for the benefit of students.
Professor Dan LaCorte, PhD, the senior member of the History Department faculty, will serve a two-year tenure as the inaugural Agnes C. Renner Chair in History.
"Academic endowments position St. Ambrose for next-level success," said Sister Joan said. "It enhances our academic reputation and strengthens our brand. Philanthropic support from our alumni affirms the value of a St. Ambrose education and experience."
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