Wabash mourns the death of Nancy J. Doemel, who established professional grant writing at the College during her 31 years as director of corporate and foundation relations and whose creativity, skill, vision, and dedication in working with organizations throughout Montgomery County embodied the literal meaning of philanthropy as \u201cthe love of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy retired from Wabash in 2010 along with her husband, Professor Emeritus of Biology Bill Doemel, but continued her service to the community and was honored in June by the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance with the 2016 Hazelett Award in Grantmaking and by the Montgomery County Community Foundation, which she co-founded<\/p>\n
She died in St. Vincent\u2019s Hospital in Indianapolis on Saturday.<\/p>\n
During three decades working for the College, Nancy\u00a0raised more than $30 million for everything from pianos in the Fine Arts Center to faculty\/student research labs to McGregor lectures to summer science and retention programs to the renovation of Lilly Library.<\/p>\n
From 1979 to 1997\u00a0she had the additional responsibility at Wabash as part-time Director of the Great Lakes Colleges Association Scotland Program, where she worked with Professor Bill Placher \u201970 and scores of students.<\/p>\n
Nancy taught high school immediately following her graduation from Wittenberg University in 1966, and throughout her career she was alway mindful of the needs of students. \u201cOne of the things Wabash\u00a0has given me that has made me happiest\u00a0…is that while I\u2019ve been a grant writer, I\u2019ve also worked with students\u00a0in\u00a0many different ways,\u201d she said during her retirement reception in 2010. \u201cAnd that\u2019s been important to me, because\u00a0you can sit in an office and write grants for the College, but unless you see\u00a0those\u00a0wonderful, screwy 18-year-olds in their shorts and sandals when it\u2019s 20\u00a0degrees out, you sort of forget who is at the heart of all this. And\u00a0I\u2019ve never\u00a0forgotten because I\u2019m always in touch with them.”<\/p>\n
At that same celebration, then-Dean of Advancement Joe Emmick \u201992 paid tribute to Nancy\u2019s vision of philanthropy: \u201cNancy\u00a0is constantly thinking about how to pull\u00a0together\u00a0this alumnus with this opportunity, how we can broaden the reach of\u00a0our grants to involve people across campus and involve our alumni. It\u2019s that kind\u00a0of reach\u2014that kind of global thinking about Advancement\u2014that I think has been\u00a0Nancy’s deeper value to the College over these past 30 years.”<\/p>\n
She brought that global thinking to her community.<\/p>\n
She was a founding member of the Montgomery County Community Foundation (MCCF), the most powerful catalyst for philanthropy in the county, and has served two terms on its board of directors. She advised the Montgomery County Free Clinic Board as they raised over $1.2 million to build a new clinic to serve medical needs of the low-income families and individuals. She worked with her church on a $308,000 capital campaign providing fundraising guidance and grant writing assistance to meet this goal. She also chaired the Economic Health committee of the Montgomery County League of Women Voters for the last five years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy was a tremendous leader who through her example showed what it truly means to be a volunteer community worker,\u201d said MCCF Executive Director Kelly Taylor. \u201cHer dedication, patience and hard work got results and set high exemplary standards for those with whom she worked. She made everyone better under her leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspired by the work of former Wabash costume designer Laura Conners, Nancy was also an accomplished quilter, and her art quilts were exhibited in the Athens Art Gallery.<\/p>\n
Nancy and Bill\u2019s son, Christopher, grew up around Wabash and sometimes in his father\u2019s science classrooms, just as\u00a0students often found their way to the Doemel\u2019s home for dinner and holidays. It was a kindness remembered years later by Arun Muralidhar \u201988: \u201cMy first Thanksgiving was at Nancy and Bill\u2019s house. For a foreigner fresh off the boat, nothing could have been more amazing than the warmth extended by them and the fabulous spread. To this day, every time\u00a0Thanksgiving comes around, I remember their generosity in opening their house to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christopher died in March 9 of this year.<\/p>\n
A memorial service for Nancy will be held July 23 at 3 p.m.\u00a0in the Wabash Chapel.<\/p>\n
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