Klawon’s Generosity Opens Doors for Miami Students

The Benefactor – Winter 2008
While the path Lois Klawon `39 traveled through life was fraught with obstacles, the path she left behind for Miami University students is paved with opportunity and promise for a better tomorrow.

Diagnosed with polio as a young child, Klawon was burdened with a brace on her leg and required the use of a cane over the remainder of her life. One day, while struggling across Miami’s slippery sidewalks on a blustery winter day, Klawon silently vowed that she would do everything possible to ensure future Miami students would not have to undergo such trials.

With her passing in July 2005, that promise came full circle in the form of a $10 million bequest that is helping low-income Ohio students fulfill their higher education dreams.

Announced in President David Hodge’s 2006 State of the University Address, Miami’s Access Initiative – supported by the Klawon gift, other generous matching gifts, and state and federal financial aid – is a scholarship program that covers four years of tuition and fees for Ohio residents with a family income of less than $35,000. The funds do not cover expenses for room, board, books, and personal expenses, but those costs can be covered through additional scholarships.

“We hope [the Access Initiative] will encourage students from low income families to see Miami as a real option for a high quality college experience,” Hodge said.

In Fall 2007, the Access Initiative paved the way for 163 first-year students to begin classes at Miami University. An additional 70 students were able to relocate to Miami’s Oxford campus from its regional campuses through the initiative, opening Miami’s doors to 233 academically qualified students. One of those students is Justinn Eddie, a native of Cleveland who grew up with dreams of becoming an inventor.

“I looked at Miami and its engineering school early on in my college search, and I was praying I could go there,” Eddie said. “When I got the letter about the Access Initiative, I finally knew where I could get the money.”

Eddie, who lives with his grandmother, mother, and sister is the first member of his family to attend a four-year college. The support provided through the Access Initiative is not only making a difference in his life but also in the eyes of his 12-year old sister, who is now fostering her own college dreams.

“It was an open gateway to higher education for me,” Eddie said. “It allowed me to overcome financial barriers and to pursue my dreams. It has really been a blessing to me and my family.”

For Klawon, who grew up in poverty during the dark days of the Great Depression, it was a matter of giving back. Her own experience at Miami University, to which she credited much of her success, was made possible through a scholarship. An accountancy major, Klawon belonged to the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society Sigma Delta Pi, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), and was a contributor to the Miami Student.

Upon graduation, Klawon worked for Wagner Awning Manufacturing briefly before joining the Progressive Corporation as an executive secretary. At the time, she took advantage of the company’s stock option, investing $2,000. By the end of her lifetime, that investment had grown into $20 million.

According to long-time friend Mark Ketterer, she was an inspiration to anyone who knew her.

“She was a person, who despite physical handicaps, never complained,” Ketterer said. “She never sat and said ‘woe is me’. She accepted what live gave her and lived a fulfilling a complete one.”

Excerpts of the story were taken from an article by Megan Brooks and Hayley Day, which appeared in the Miami Student. The excerpts are printed with the permission of the Miami Student.