Sometimes, life can change very quickly. Lynn Kiewert’s life changed forever in October 2009, when her daughter, Alicia Kiewert Richter, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. Lynn had just talked to Alicia on the phone a few moments before.
In the following months, one of the tasks facing Lynn was rewriting her will. “I don’t have any other relatives to leave anything to,” she said. Alicia was an only child, and she and her husband, Bryan Richter, had no children.
“Someone mentioned the idea of creating a scholarship so that Alicia’s name could live on,” Lynn said. “And I thought, ‘That’s a good idea – I would like to do that.’ ”
Education is very important to her, Lynn said, and she liked the idea of a scholarship in her daughter’s name helping someone else to achieve a college degree.
Lynn made provisions in her estate plans to establish an endowed award to memorialize and to honor Alicia. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to students who meet admission requirements and who demonstrate financial need. Because Alicia loved animals – Lynn is now taking care of her daughter’s beloved dog, Jackson – preference will be given to a student enrolled in veterinary medicine, should Bellarmine University establish such a program.
Although neither Alicia nor Lynn attended Bellarmine, Lynn said that she has watched the school grow from her home on nearby Gardiner Lane. She has also attended Bellarmine events honoring the Pioneer Class of 1954 with alumnus Larry Graham, who she is dating, and said she is impressed by the university’s plans for future expansion.
Lynn said the people she worked with at Bellarmine in setting up the scholarship were very helpful, and she feels certain that the money will be used wisely. “And my daughter’s name can live on.”