Oregon Institute of Technology is honored to announce a generous gift from the Boyer Living Trust to support student-athlete scholarships and enhance funding of low-interest student loans through the Boyer Loan Fund at Oregon Tech.
In the late 1940s, Patricia "Pat" and Terence "Terry" Boyer moved to Klamath Falls and became local business owners and dedicated community advocates. During their 61-year marriage before Terry's passing in 2010, the Boyers built the Klamath Falls KOA (Kampgrounds of America) and several other businesses, traveled abroad, and volunteered at various organizations in the Klamath Basin. In the decade after Terry's passing, Pat continued the couple’s dedication to the Klamath Basin before she passed in 2020.
The Boyers were avid Oregon Tech athletics fans and held season tickets for Oregon Tech basketball. Terry rarely missed a game, even if he had to catch it on the radio. Funded by the Boyer estate, two student-athlete scholarships established in 2022 display the Boyers' commitment to Oregon Tech athletics and their gratitude for career paths in healthcare. The Terry L. Boyer Endowed Sports Scholarship and Patricia E. Boyer Endowed Sports Scholarship will be awarded each year to financially needy student-athletes pursuing a bachelor's degree in a health-related program at Oregon Tech.
Additionally, the Boyers established the Boyer Loan Fund at Oregon Tech in 1987, with contributions throughout the years, culminating with their legacy gift through the Boyer Living Trust. Oregon Tech's Financial Aid Office offers the Boyer Loan Fund to students at a low-interest rate and reasonable repayment terms, aiding Oregon Tech students in graduating with lower debt.
"We are privileged to be recipients of the Boyers' support and generosity, and we are honored to facilitate the couple’s long-term philanthropic goals, through the legacy of their estate gift, to Oregon Tech students,” said Oregon Tech Foundation Executive Director Dr. Ken Fincher.
The scholarships and loan fund give preference to students from Klamath County, increasing the university's ability to recruit local students and providing broader access to educational opportunities.
Judy Dodson, a close friend of Pat and Terry, said Pat carried a poem in her purse that described her approach to philanthropy:
Give lavishly! Live abundantly by Helen Steiner Rice
The more you give, the more you get
The more you laugh, the less you fret.
The more you do unselfishly,
The more you live abundantly.
The more of everything you share,
The more you'll always have to spare
The more you love, the more you'll find
That life is good and friends are kind.
For only what we give away,
Enriches us from day to day.
In addition to Oregon Tech, the Boyers were financial supporters of Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Oregon Health & Science University, Salvation Army, Sky Lakes Medical Center, and University of Oregon.
The 2023-24 Oregon Tech Foundation scholarship application is currently open. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2023, at 5:00 pm at www.oit.edu/college-costs/scholarships/all-students/otf. Boyer Loan information is available by contacting the Financial Aid office at 541-885-1280.
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About the Oregon Tech Foundation
The Oregon Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and funds the educational, cultural, charitable, and service functions of the Oregon Institute of Technology.
