June 24, 2005
The Hawkeye Visions Endowment Program: Investing in a Winning Future, is a 10-year campaign with a $25 million goal, which seeks to create permanently endowed scholarships for all starting positions in UI athletics. The program currently includes 95 fully endowed scholarships, 45 partially endowed scholarships, 25 scholarships that are in the development stages and approximately 30 future scholarship gifts.
The following scholarships are fully or partially endowed awards, which are currently used by the UI wrestling program. These endowments provide earnings to annually fund a wrestling scholarship (tuition, room, board, books and fees). Other sport scholarships and partial scholarship awards being developed and/or planned are not included in this list.
John and Ruth Beckman Wrestling ScholarshipThe Beckman Wrestling Scholarship, along with similar scholarships for football and the Hawkeye Marching Band, was established in 1985 by the Beckmans. John worked for Hawkeye Castings, Inc. in Manchester, IA, and died in 1991. Ruth lives in Delhi, IA, and supports numerous UI activities, especially Hawkeye wrestling.
John and Mary Ann Colloton Wrestling ScholarshipThe Colloton Wrestling Scholarship, along with similar scholarships in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, was established in 1998 by a generous gift from longtime Hawkeye fans John and Mary Ann Colloton of Iowa City. John, with degrees from Loras College and the UI, was director of UI Hospitals and Clinics from 1971-93. He is the UI’s Vice President Emeritus for Statewide Health Services and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the UI in 1999. Mary Ann, a 1957 UI graduate, served as staff nurse at the UIHC from 1957-63, and is an active community volunteer.
Donald W. and Marilyn Heineking Wrestling ScholarshipThe Heineking Wrestling Scholarship was established in 2003, along with a men’s basketball manager’s scholarship. Previously, the couple established scholarships in women’s basketball and football. Don is a 1958 UI business graduate and president of Security State Bank in Hubbard, Iowa. He is also a long-time supporter of Iowa athletics, member of the Johnson County I-Club Board of Directors and a member of the Iowa Scholarship Fund Board of Directors. Don lives in Iowa City and is a member of the Presidents Club of the UI Foundation. Marilyn passed away in February of 2004.
Gary Kurdelmeier Wrestling ScholarshipThe Gary Kurdelmeier Wrestling scholarship was established by his family and friends as a tribute to the highly successful UI wrestler, coach and administrator following his death in 1998. Kurdelmeier graduated from the UI in 1959 where he was a Big Ten Champion, NCAA Champion and team captain for the Hawkeyes. He served as UI assistant wrestling coach from 1967-72 and then head coach from 1973-76. During his tenure, the Hawkeyes won three Big Ten Championships, two NCAA team titles and Kurdelmeier was named national coach of the year in 1975. He also secured the future of Iowa wrestling when he and former UI Athletic Director, Bump Elliott, hired Dan Gable as an assistant coach.
William and Kay Pitlik Wrestling ScholarshipBill and Kay Pitlik of Cedar Rapids, IA, established their endowed scholarship in 1996. Both are UI graduates, Kay in 1952 and Bill in 1953. The Pitliks are the former owners of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company in Cedar Rapids. They are avid Hawkeye fans, and also have endowed scholarships in football, women’s basketball and softball.
John and Dorothy Sill Wrestling ScholarshipThe John and Dorothy Sill Wrestling Scholarship was established in 1999 through a generous estate gift by the Sill family. John and Dorothy were both born and raised in small town Iowa. They were married in 1941 and managed a family farm until 1959. They later moved to Manchester, IA, where he was the manager of the Delaware County Mutual Insurance Association and opened his own insurance agency. They were very active in the community and proud supporters of the West Delaware and University of Iowa athletic teams. John passed away in 1989 and Dorothy in 1999.
Iowa Style Wrestling ScholarshipGary and Camille Seamans established the Iowa Style Wrestling Scholarship in 2001. It is a tribute to the aggressive, determined and dominating style that Hawkeye wrestlers have exhibited since 1973 under head coaches, Gary Kurdelmeier, Dan Gable and Jim Zalesky. An Iowa City native, Gary received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the UI and enjoyed a successful career in the telecommunications industry, retiring as chairman and CEO of Westell Technologies in 1998. Camille is a native of Dekalb, IL, and is director of human resources for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago. In 1977, Gary received the UI Alumni Association’s Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.
To make a gift or for more information about the Hawkeye Visions Endowment Program, please contact Andy Piro at the UI Foundation, (319) 335-3305 or (800) 648-6973. The UI Foundation is the preferred channel of support for private contributions to all areas of the University of Iowa.