| Great Falls Family Donates $1.3 Million to Athletics |
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| Montana State University Athletics received the largest gift in its history Friday, Sept. 8., when the Gene and Jane Thayer family of Great Falls made a donation exceeding $1.3 million, MSU President Geoffrey Gamble and Athletic Director Peter Fields announced at the Vintage Bobcat Gala and Auction. |
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Gene Thayer, center, and his wife Jane, to his left, visit with (left to right) MSU Foundation Director Connie Talbott, MSU President Geoff Gamble, and Peter Fields at the Friday, Sept. 8, Vintage Bobcat Gala and Auction. The Thayer family made a gift exceeding $1.3 million to Bobcat Athletics on Friday. (Photo by Arianne Perlinski) |
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| Gene Thayer, a former state senator and mayor of Great Falls, said he targeted Bobcat Athletics as a way to benefit the entire campus. |
| "After I served on the MSU Foundation Board for six years I always intended to make another significant gift to the University," the Belt native said, referring to a previous donation made by him and his wife to the College of Agriculture. |
| "Bobcat Athletics positively affects campus life. It benefits the entire student body and the entire state. We decided this was the best place to make a gift that would get the most possible mileage." |
| The Thayers know about mileage, having put a considerable amount on the family vehicles while traveling to Bobcat games over the years, he said. |
| "Ever since I started in school here in 1950 I've been an avid fan of the Bobcats," he said. "That's 56 years, and I've attended as many football and basketball games as possible. I think we've only missed one or two Cat-Griz games, and now we have season tickets, so we get to down to Bozeman for most football games." |
| President Gamble said the gift enhances the ability for MSU's student-athletes to succeed academically and in competition. |
| "The Thayer Family gift will help generations of student-athletes at Montana State University realize that their potential, both intellectual and physical, is limitless," he said. |
| Gene Thayer, who started Montana Merchandising, Inc., and several other companies, was named one of MSU's 100 Outstanding Graduates. He earned a B.S. degree in Agriculture Economics after graduating from Belt High School, and received an honorary Doctorate from the College of Agriculture. |
| He has served as president of the High Plains Development Authority, the Montana Grain Elevators Association, the Great Falls Economic Growth Council, the Charles M. Russell Museum, and on the Board of Directors for Rocky Mountain College and the University of Great Falls. |
| Bobcat Athletics helps connect MSU graduates and Montanans living throughout the world, Jane Thayer said, a key factor in the family's decision to direct the gift there. "The minute you get alumni watching for scores, buying tickets, coming to games, you see them get excited about the university again. You see that enthusiasm come back to the school in many ways, including financial support." |
| Gene Thayer said his enrollment at MSU over a half-century ago wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of others, which helped inspire his decision to give back to the school. |
| "I was born in the Depression when people didn't have a lot of money," he said. |
| After spending his life savings of $350 to attend MSU in the fall of 1950, he borrowed money from a friend's father to return to college in Bozeman, then repaid that money by working at a pair of grain elevators in the summer. |
| "I always had a job or two. My degree, and working in the grain elevators, eventually led to my career in the grain business." |
| The Thayer's traveled with the Bobcat football team to Boulder for last week's upset win over Colorado, and Gene Thayer's strongest recollection of the trip is what happened long after the game ended. |
| "We were sitting on the plane waiting for the players to arrive and I expected a riotous atmosphere, a lot of noise and celebrating," he said. |
| "But I was so impressed with the players because they filed onto the plane very calmly and spent the flight listening to their music, watching television or studying, and it was very quiet. I was extremely impressed with the team's discipline on the field, but even more so with the discipline after the game." |
| The family's vision for Bobcat Athletics lies in providing student-athletes the best possible atmosphere to compete and gain an education, Gene Thayer said. "I see us building a facility that will take this program to the next level. There are a lot of alumni out there, Bobcat Nation, who want to get involved, and I hope this encourages people to do that. There's more excitement out there right now about the Bobcats than there has been in the last 20 years. The university needs to capitalize on this excitement. I predict this will happen sooner rather than later." |
| Contact: Bill Lamberty, 994-5133 |
