Scholarship Opportunity Leads to Legacy Gift

As a student at North Dallas High School, Karl V. Mendel '42 won a contest that changed the trajectory of his life. The prize was a year's tuition at SMU.

"There is no way a country hick like me could have attended a school like SMU without scholarships," Karl said. "My family had nothing."

Karl, despite coming from modest means and spending his career in public service, established an endowment at SMU during his life and added to the endowment after his death in 2016. His gift provided $1.7 million to endow scholarships for students studying history at SMU.

After Karl's first year at the University—funded by winning the high school essay contest sponsored by Republic National Bank—he had done so well that SMU continued his scholarship support, enabling him to complete his studies.

After earning his bachelor's degree in history in just three years, Karl joined the U.S. military. He trained at Washington and Lee University. During the war, he was stationed in Paris as a member of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force staff until the city was completely liberated. He then served on Gen. Marshall's staff establishing the command in West Germany.

When his military commitment was satisfied, Karl earned his master's degree at Johns Hopkins University. He then served as a high school history teacher for 40 years, most of it at Cold Spring Harbor High School in Long Island, where he taught Japanese, Chinese and European history.

Karl's gift established a permanent legacy in his area of strongest interest—providing scholarship support to students studying history at SMU, just as he received.

You too can provide educational opportunities for future Mustangs. To learn about ways to make a planned gift to support your passion at SMU, please contact SMU's Office of Gift Planning at 214-768-1911 or giftplanning@smu.edu.