ESF College Foundation
Donor Profile Ronald Thompson

A Legacy of Friendship Supports Today’s Students

By Judy Gelman Myers

Ron Thompson ’65 was a shy young man back in his college days, but he found much in common with other students at the forestry school. Thompson’s scholarship and savings covered a good portion of his college expenses. To cover the rest, he served lunch and dinner at a nearby sorority and joined ROTC, which paid fifty dollars a month. Finding community among his ESF peers, Thompson became a member of the ESF fraternity, Kappa Phi Delta (KPD).

The Fraternity had humble beginnings. In the late 1940’s, a group of ESF students were seeking a comfortable place to hang out, play ping pong, and study together. They ended up renting a house at 200 Walnut Place to host their forestry co-op. In 1953, the group became Kappa Phi Delta — an organization that is still supporting ESF students today.

When KPD was first established, the state granted them local status, but they received no national support. In the 1990’s, members were told that if they wanted to remain a fraternity, they had to buy the house they were renting. To everyone’s shock, the Kappa Phi Delta Alumni Association raised the money and bought the house.

Years later when the house was sold, the KPD brothers used the sale proceeds to create the Kappa Phi Delta Scholarship Fund at ESF.

Kappa Phi Delta, Thompson said, was one of the best things that happened to his life. He formed lifelong bonds with his fraternity brothers, who continue to keep in touch. He still sees his closest friends from those days. Many, including Thompson, continue to support the fund they created, which is open to all ESF students. While KPD legacies are considered, they must meet the necessary specifications and are not given priority over other applicants.

Thompson contributes to the fund using his IRA’s required minimum distribution. That lets him save big-time on taxes. A CPA, Thompson explained, “When your money is in the IRA, you’re not paying taxes on it. But when you reach a certain age, you have to take out a certain amount and pay taxes on everything except charitable distributions. Talk to your financial advisor about qualified charitable distributions from your IRA. The required minimum distribution (RMD) percentage increases each year. In turn, I increase my qualified charitable distributions each year to reduce my RMD taxes. These additional funds are added to my donation to the KPD Scholarship Fund.”

Thompson, a member of the Robin Hood Oak Society, has also set up most of his estate to go to ESF. “We have a tremendous need for people to focus on the environment, and I want to help students who pursue that in college. My legacy isn’t about my name; I just want to feel good that I’ve done well for society,” he said, adding, “ESF looks at the world from a scientific point of view. Science is immutable. If I give money to kids who are learning this, it helps balance people who think their opinion is better than the facts.”