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Barkers' $2.5 Million Gift to Fund Endowment
A $2.5 million gift from Hartley and Ruth Barker will fund an endowment to provide a permanent source of funding for the Wisconsin Historical Society director's position, according to an announcement by Mark Gajewski, president of the Society's governing Board of Curators.
The Barkers, who divide their time between Scottsdale, Arizona, and Wisconsin's Door County, were both raised in Wisconsin Rapids and say their parents instilled in them a sense for the importance of philanthropy.
"We've been very fortunate economically, and we feel it's important to give," they say. "Our parents gave to various charities and were also involved with their communities. You can't take it with you, so you should do something with it."
Both Hartley and Ruth Barker have a long history of supporting and playing a leadership role in the work of the Wisconsin Historical Society. Ruth serves as a current member of the Society's Board of Curators, and Hartley serves as an emeritus director of the Wisconsin Historical Foundation Board of Directors. The foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to support the Society's work and mission through fund raising and by operating the Society's membership program.
"We feel this gift is a vote of confidence in the Society's leadership and mission as well as its recent emergence into a more outward, service-oriented organization," Ruth Barker commented at a recent meeting of the Board of Curators. Ellsworth H. Brown, now serving as the Society's 13th director, is the first to serve as The Ruth and Hartley Barker Director. He said the Barkers' generous gift will go a long way toward supporting the Society's mission and encouraging others to recognize and sustain its important work.
"For 160 years, the Wisconsin Historical Society has worked diligently to document, preserve and share the history of Wisconsin and North America. With the support of people
like Hartley and Ruth Barker, the Society can look forward with confidence to continuing that mission," said Brown.
Both Barkers attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and married in 1950 after Hartley's return from military service overseas. They have traveled extensively and make a priority of spending time with their four daughters and 15 grandchildren, located throughout the country.
:: Posted February 21, 2007
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