McCurdy Endowment Anniversary, A Letter from the Dean

On October 4, we remember the life of Dr. William (Bill) McCurdy, a remarkable Philosophy faculty member who inspired countless students through his boundless knowledge, infectious sense of humor, and unwavering passion for exploring life's profound questions.

Dear Friends,

On this day, two years ago, which also happened to be Dr. McCurdy’s birthday, we lost him to COVID. Our ISU community, and the CAL faculty and students in particular were devastated to lose such a selfless and inspiring teacher who gave generously his time, and essentially his whole career, to ISU and its students.  

I write this to thank you for your support of the William McCurdy Memorial Scholarship Endowment and to give you an update on where we are today. In 2022, efforts to create an endowment, which will be a tribute to Dr. McCurdy’s legacy at ISU, were begun. To date, we have raised just about 17,000. Our goal is to reach $25,000 this autumn to fully establish this endowment which will ensure the funds will provide ongoing support for students. We are so close!

The ISU Foundation has set a deadline for reaching the $25,000 target to complete the endowment. Unfortunately, failing to do so would mean the funds that have been raised to date would need to be disbursed over the next few years until they are exhausted, and we would forfeit the chance to properly honor Dr. McCurdy and sustain long-term financial support for students.

I ask you to consider making an additional gift in support of the Bill McCurdy Legacy Endowment to benefit Philosophy and English students, and countless numbers of Pre-law students, with financial need at ISU. Please consider giving a gift that will benefit students in perpetuity.

Contributions may be made by visiting isu.edu/give. Click on the “Give Now” button. To select a fund, pull down the menu bar for “ISU Family of Funds” and select “Other Fund.” In the box, type in “Bill McCurdy Endowment.” You can also mail a check to the ISU Foundation at 921 S. 8th Ave., Stop 8050, Pocatello, ID, 83209. Please write “McCurdy Endowment” on the memo line. And feel free to reach out to me (contact information below) or Sonia Gomez (208) 373-1989, soniagomez@isu.edu with questions. Be assured that the gift you so generously give makes a real and lasting impact!

Warmest thanks,

Kandi Turley Ames

Dean, ISU College of Arts and Letters