A legacy of education – Part 2

NCTA Dean's Message

by Dean Larry Gossen, Ph.D.

Rooted in ranching and valuing education, a goal and dream of Sande Clark Scholz was to leave a legacy of her maternal lineage to the “school at Curtis.”

Prior to her death nearly two years ago, Sande and her husband, David, coordinated the gift of land in Hayes County be made through the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Sande had inherited the ranch from the estate of her mother, Grace Lue Clark, who died in North Platte in 1993.

This week, NCTA and the University of Nebraska shared the news of Sande and David’s benevolence to Nebraska agriculture for education, research and outreach at the Frank B. and Mabel Leu Memorial Ranch.

We are extremely grateful to share Sande’s desire for the rangeland and resources at the homestead ranch of her maternal grandparents be a part of the NCTA educational program for hands-on, experiential learning.

This summer, student workers and the NCTA Farm Team headed by Alan Taylor, NCTA faculty member and experiential learning coordinator, will take our NCTA cow-calf herd to summer range.

We also will be adding a fall-calving herd from cows now part of the University of Nebraska West Central Research and Extension Center, based at North Platte, and the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman.

There is much to share about this exciting initiative for student education, and we will be doing that over the course of the summer and into fall.

Typically, our students have hands-on management of our spring-calving herd in March and April. Now, Aggies in beef production and large animal veterinary technology classes will also have opportunities with the fall-calving group when the students return to campus in late August.

NSA, UNSA connection

Frank B. and Mabel valued education. As their five children became school age, they purchased a house in Curtis where Mabel and children lived during the school months. Each attended and graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture:  Frank R., 1923; Marjorie, 1924; Arch, 1925; Grayce, 1930; and Fred, 1934.  All then went onto studies in higher education, at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln or Chadron State College.

Gifford Leu of Sutherland (son of Arch Leu) graduated from the University of Nebraska School of Agriculture in 1960. Through the past 60 years, Gifford continues his ranch near Sutherland.

When Sande was to begin school, she and her mother, Grayce Leu Clark, moved to North Platte where Sande graduated from North Platte High School, and then went on to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  She graduated from UNL with a degree in psychology in 1963 and from Columbia University receiving a Master of Social Work.

We salute ranching traditions, family heritage and the legacy of the Lue family to education in Nebraska.

Thank you, Sande and David, for sharing the Leu family legacy with the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.