Summer 2007

Planned Gift Establishes Parseghian-Pont-Kurz Football Scholarship Endowment

Cornelia Polasky-Holt spent just under 10 years of her life as an employee of Miami University, but the relationships she built and memories she made during her days in Oxford have lasted a lifetime.

With that in mind, Holt recently made a planned gift to establish the Parseghian-Pont-Kurz Football Scholarship Endowment, named for legendary Miami coaches Ara Parseghian '49 and John Pont '52 and former sports information director and author of The Cradle of Coaches Bob Kurz '58.

"They are three men I have admired so much over the years for their gentlemanly qualities," Holt said. "Bob and I had a wonderful working relationship. Ara and John were competitors at everything they did but also true gentlemen and role models for so many young people."

Holt, a graduate of the University of Iowa, came to Miami in 1961 as an administrative assistant under then president John D. Millett and assumed the role of publications editor the next year. She worked under Bob Howard, the director of Miami's news bureau at the time, and shared an office with Kurz, who was Miami's sports information director from 1958-65. According to Holt, the three enjoyed a strong connection.

"The two Bobs and I called ourselves ‘The Great Triumvirate'," Holt said. "We had so much fun. Even after I left, I stayed in touch with Bob Howard until he passed away, and I'm still in frequent communication with Bob and Marion Kurz."

Holt's close proximity to Kurz and the sports information office also brought her into regular contact with some of Miami's most legendary athletic personalities, including Pont, Parseghian, Bo Schembechler and Jay Colville, long-time Miami athletic trainer and a pioneer in sports medicine.

"I was very close with Jay and Bessie Colville," Holt said. "We went to dinner all the time, and I just adored them. They used to host gatherings at their home during the football season, and that's where I met the Parseghians. Ara and Katie still keep in touch with me on a weekly basis, as do John and Helen Pont."

Holt, who abides by the saying that ‘A day without laughter is a wasted day,' is a treasure trove of humorous anecdotes from her days at Miami. One of her favorite memories was in December 1968, when Schembechler was hired as the head coach at the University of Michigan.

"My brother was a law professor in Ann Arbor, and I happened to be there for Christmas break in 1968," Holt recalled. "The VP for University Relations from Michigan called and said he was picking me up at 7:30 a.m. the following morning for a press conference, and my response was ‘Oh my god, you've stolen our coach'."

As Schembechler's hiring was still secret, Holt decided to forego a congratulatory phone call to the hotel where Schembechler was staying under the name Glenn Schem, and instead surprise him at the press conference.

"I wore the brightest Miami red dress I had, and when Bo walked into the press conference with Bump Elliott, he saw me and stopped dead in his tracks," Holt said. "No one was supposed to know yet, and he was pretty surprised to see me."

In 1970, Holt left Miami to become the director of communications at the Kellogg Foundation -the fifth-largest philanthropic foundation in the world. While there, she met her husband, Lloyd E. Holt, and also learned a deep appreciation for the value of education, a primary focus of the foundation.

"When Mr. Kellogg started his foundation to help children, he discovered that education was the best way to improve one generation over another," Holt said. "Lloyd and I strongly believed in that, which led to our decision to leave our money to Miami. Because I was such an avid Miami football fan, I suggested we direct the money there."

The couple retired to Ft. Myers, Fla., in 1985, but continued to make frequent visits to Oxford until Lloyd's passing in 2003. Holt is still an avid follower of Miami athletics, catching the RedHawks on TV whenever she can, and Oxford remains a special place in her heart.

"The best times in my life were in Oxford," Holt said. "I loved the community, the university, the townspeople, and I always enjoyed the students. It's a special place."