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Neale family gives $2 million to UW-SP

The family of Oscar W. Neale, an early educator at the Stevens Point Normal School, has donated $2 million to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point foundation.

"This is the largest single gift ever received by the university," said Chancellor Tom George. "It will fund the three largest scholarship programs at UW-SP."

The Neale family gift was announced Wednesday, Sept. 12, by Jim Neale, retired proprietor of a local insurance agency, and his wife Lorrie, former co-owner of the Treasure Chest Boutique, now of Show Low, Ariz. They were joined in the bequest from the Neale Family Trust by Jean Neale Stassel, who attended what is now UW-SP from l945 to l947, and her husband Fred, a 1949 UW-SP graduate, now of Anchorage, Alaska.

Jim Neale and Jean Stassel are grandchildren of Oscar Neale, director of education at the Normal School (now UW-SP) from 1913 to 1944 and a Wisconsin state senator for eight years following his retirement.

Jim Neale ran the Neale Agency in Stevens Point from 1962 until retiring in 1987. He is also a retired Army colonel. He attended UW-SP (then Central State Teachers College) from 1946 to 1948 and was a member of the UW-SP Alumni Association for nearly 25 years. He also served on the UW-SP Foundation Board. "The Neale family is enormously excited about the impact this gift will have on the university and the students it will support," Neale said.

The gift will fund two scholarship programs in the Division of Student Affairs and expand a previously endowed scholarship in the School of Education.

Through the Neale Alumni Honors Scholarship, 25 scholarships worth $1,500 each will be funded for entering freshmen who have records of outstanding academic achievement in high school, and who have demonstrated leadership and special skills and contributions. Selections will be made by a university committee and the awards will be given annually by Robert Tomlinson, assistant chancellor for student affairs.

The Robert S. and Ventura V. Neale Memorial Scholarship for Continuing Students, a new program, is named for the Neales' late uncle, Robert, and their aunt, Ventura, of Miami, Fla. It will give recipients of Neale Alumni Honors Scholarships support beyond their first year at UW-SP. The endowment is expected to fund 25 $l,500 scholarships annually. They will be given to full-time second-, third- and fourth-year students who have demonstrated strong academic achievement and significant leadership skills. Winners will be chosen by a university committee.

The third endowment will be the Oscar W. Neale Elementary Education Memorial Scholarship Fund, which currently supports an annual award of $750 or higher to an outstanding elementary education major. Candidates submit a lesson plan addressing the teaching of art appreciation based on Oscar Neale's work in "picture study," cited in Peter Smith's "The History of American Art Education," published in 1996 by Greenwood Press. The School of Education Awards Committee selects the recipients, who are recognized at the school's annual awards dinner.

Neale Hall, a UW-SP residence hall, is named for Oscar Neale. Between 1926 and 1933, he published three books on picture study in the elementary grades.

"Jim and Lorrie Neale were previously major donors to the university," said George. "We're extremely grateful to them and Jean and Fred Stassel for their extraordinary leadership."



	Neale family gives $2 million to UW-SP The family of Oscar W. Neale, an early educator at the Stevens Point Normal School, has donated $2 million to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point foundation. "This is the largest single gift ever received by the university," said Chancellor Tom George. "It will fund the three largest scholarship programs at UW-SP." The Neale family gift was announced Wednesday, Sept. 12, by Jim Neale, retired proprietor of a local insurance agency, and his wife Lorrie, former co-owner of the Treasure Chest Boutique, now of Show Low, Ariz. They were joined in the bequest from the Neale Family Trust by Jean Neale Stassel, who attended what is now UW-SP from l945 to l947, and her husband Fred, a 1949 UW-SP graduate, now of Anchorage, Alaska. Jim Neale and Jean Stassel are grandchildren of Oscar Neale, director of education at the Normal School (now UW-SP) from 1913 to 1944 and a Wisconsin state senator for eight years following his retirement. Jim Neale ran the Neale Agency in Stevens Point from 1962 until retiring in 1987. He is also a retired Army colonel. He attended UW-SP (then Central State Teachers College) from 1946 to 1948 and was a member of the UW-SP Alumni Association for nearly 25 years. He also served on the UW-SP Foundation Board. "The Neale family is enormously excited about the impact this gift will have on the university and the students it will support," Neale said. The gift will fund two scholarship programs in the Division of Student Affairs and expand a previously endowed scholarship in the School of Education. Through the Neale Alumni Honors Scholarship, 25 scholarships worth $1,500 each will be funded for entering freshmen who have records of outstanding academic achievement in high school, and who have demonstrated leadership and special skills and contributions. Selections will be made by a university committee and the awards will be given annually by Robert Tomlinson, assistant chancellor for student affairs. The Robert S. and Ventura V. Neale Memorial Scholarship for Continuing Students, a new program, is named for the Neales' late uncle, Robert, and their aunt, Ventura, of Miami, Fla. It will give recipients of Neale Alumni Honors Scholarships support beyond their first year at UW-SP. The endowment is expected to fund 25 $l,500 scholarships annually. They will be given to full-time second-, third- and fourth-year students who have demonstrated strong academic achievement and significant leadership skills. Winners will be chosen by a university committee. The third endowment will be the Oscar W. Neale Elementary Education Memorial Scholarship Fund, which currently supports an annual award of $750 or higher to an outstanding elementary education major. Candidates submit a lesson plan addressing the teaching of art appreciation based on Oscar Neale's work in "picture study," cited in Peter Smith's "The History of American Art Education," published in 1996 by Greenwood Press. The School of Education Awards Committee selects the recipients, who are recognized at the school's annual awards dinner. Neale Hall, a UW-SP residence hall, is named for Oscar Neale. Between 1926 and 1933, he published three books on picture study in the elementary grades. "Jim and Lorrie Neale were previously major donors to the university," said George. "We're extremely grateful to them and Jean and Fred Stassel for their extraordinary leadership."