Building ASU Pays Dividends
It's the memories of being part of building a university that brought Anna Kinsey Nickell ('67) back to Angelo State University when it came time to plan for her financial future. Mrs. Nickell, a member of the first graduating class of the four-year university, found that establishing a charitable gift annuity benefiting Angelo State University was the perfect way to give back to the school that played such an important part in her personal history and receive a guaranteed income for the rest of her life.
"So much was happening then. In those years, they were building the school. Right then we knew that it was all happening," Nickell said. "I have a vivid memory of Lady Bird Johnson coming to campus to dedicate the (four-year) school."
In 1964, she enrolled at the two-year San Angelo College (SAC) at the suggestion of her father who believed that the school would soon become a four-year school. She quickly became part of the university's tight knit community, living in Carr Hall and beginning friendships that have lasted more than 40 years. The following year, SAC became the four-year Angelo State College. In 1967, she received her degree with the College's first graduating class.
As a student, she thrived in the College's new journalism program working with faculty members Maxine Wells, assistant professor and head of department of journalism, and Wayland Yates, instructor and yearbook sponsor. Anna was editor of the 1966 Rambouillet Yearbook and started a literary publication called El Pensador. After graduation, she went to work at the San Angelo Standard-Times where she met Naaman Nickell, the newspaper's sports editor. They married one year later.
"Naaman and I have very fond memories of San Angelo. It's an important part of our personal history," Mrs. Nickell said.
The creation of the charitable gift annuity allowed Mrs. Nickell to make a gift that will benefit the university in the future but will pay her an annual income throughout her lifetime. The remains of the annuity will provide annual support to the Anna and Naaman Nickell Scholarship.
As she established the scholarship with the annuity, she realized that she would like to see the impact of the scholarship during her lifetime. To make that possible, she donated another $10,000 to the ASU Foundation to create an endowment to provide the scholarships during her lifetime. The first Anna and Naaman Nickell Scholarship will be awarded in Spring 2007.