The estate of the late Nina and Thomas Sprick has given Arkansas Tech University $1.1 million for scholarships, the university announced Wednesday.
The couple started funneling donations through the estate to the Russellville school in 2015, said Sam Strasner, the director of university relations. The gifts will provide about $50,000 per year in scholarship assistance for Arkansas Tech student-athletes of any major and any students majoring in health and physical education, he said.
"Thomas Sprick had a talent for building beautiful homes," Michael Hutchison, vice president for advancement at Arkansas Tech, said in a statement. "He and Nina built something even more beautiful and enduring through their estate plan. They built a brighter future for Arkansas Tech students. Their generosity will long be remembered and appreciated at Arkansas Tech University."
Thomas Sprick attended Arkansas Tech in the 1930s when he served as a member of the National Guard Battery D and a track-and-field athlete, a news release states. As a handyman, he built many homes, including one in North Little Rock for himself and Nina, according to the news release.
Nina Sprick stayed in that home after her husband died in 1993, the news release states. She died in 2012.
"The idea of paying it forward speaks to the best of humanity," university President Robin Bowen said in a prepared statement. "With the estate planning that Nina and Thomas Sprick participated in during their lifetimes, they ensured that future Arkansas Tech students would benefit from their philanthropy. We are thankful that Mr. and Mrs. Sprick remembered Arkansas Tech in this way and that their legacy will live on at our university."
Metro on 04/22/2016