Inspire, Spring 2008

42 spring 2008 advanc ing Cedarv i l le Dr. Kyle wants to use his family’s dairy farm to invest in Cedarville through a gift plan. His farm is placed into a charitable remainder trust with Cedarville named as the trustee. The phone calls home had become more frequent as next semester’s bill came due. Yes, she had talked to Financial Aid ... again. She was already working 10 hours a week on campus, and she had dropped her student organization so she could pick up a second job off campus. She had even lined up work at home over the break, but every time she did the math, she came up short. “I know, honey. And I wish there was more I could do to help. It’s not much, but maybe I can send you a little money on Friday.” Her mother tried to sound encouraging, but she wondered how much her daughter could juggle without affecting her studies. “I’m going to pray that God will provide a way.” “I know, Mom. If God wants me at Cedarville next semester, He’ll make it happen.” Calls home like this happen all too often as students with significant need exhaust financial resources. These students must make difficult decisions about their educational future. Unfortunately, nearly 100 students leave Cedarville each year when there is simply no more financial aid to award. Thanks to generous donors, some students receive news that changes everything: “Congratulations, you have received a scholarship!” (Last year nearly 600 students received donor-funded scholarships.) This year, due to the Dr. Donald F. Kyle Memorial Scholarship, nine more students called home with good news. God had made a way. They were staying at Cedarville! In 1996 Dr. Kyle, a quiet, yet well-respected community physician, initiated a gift plan with Cedarville University that would leave a meaningful legacy in students’ lives. But that’s just part of the story — the story begins more than 100 years ago with a “house call” of an entirely different kind. Cedarville Doctor’s Legacy Continues to Inspire by Carol Lee ’96 “I don’t know what else to do.” The mother could hear the frustration in her daughter’s voice. Investing in a Community Born in 1906, Dr. Donald Kyle was the second youngest of eight children. The family moved to Cedarville, Ohio, when he was 12 and established their home on a dairy farm. Everyone pitched in with farm chores and learned the value of hard work, but their father, a minister, valued education, too. He encouraged his children to pursue a degree. So, in 1924, Dr. Kyle followed his brothers and sisters to Cedarville College. He then completed his medical education at The Ohio State University, returning home in 1934 and setting up his own private practice soon afterward. Everyone in Cedarville knew “Doc Kyle.” He was the town’s Main Street physician who made house calls, delivered babies, and knew everyone’s complete family history. Office visits cost just $2; another $2 for medicine. Still, anyone who couldn’t pay never received a bill. Cedarville’s mayor, Jim Phipps ’68, said, “He was everything you’d want in a small town family physician. Whatever you needed, Doc Kyle was always there. He was a fine Christian man who lived his faith.” Dr. Clifford Johnson, professor emeritus of communication arts at Cedarville, recalled, “Dr. Kyle was one of the most remarkable men I have ever known. He had a wonderful spirit of humility and an attitude of service. His contributions to Cedarville and the surrounding area were incredible.” Dr. Kyle served as sports physician for Cedarville High School and the college for more than 30 years, and he was a faithful elder at the local Presbyterian church. As a board member at the College, he helped guide Cedarville’s transition with Cleveland’s Baptist Bible Institute in 1953. That transition was difficult for some residents of the mostly Presbyterian town, but Dr. Kyle had invested much of himself into the school, and he valued its presence in the community. Dave Bartlett, associate vice president for development, remembers Dr. Kyle’s loyalty. “He used to walk across the street into Founders Hall The Legacy of a Gift Plan Correction In the story “Honoring a Dad’s Legacy” in the winter 2007 issue of Inspire , we incorrectly printed the name of the scholarship established by David ’84 and Laura (McElroy) Lindner ’85. Their scholarship, created to honor David’s father, is the Philip S. Lindner Scholarship. We apologize for the error.