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University of Oklahoma alumna Ruth Irelan Knee was a distinguished pioneer in the field of psychiatric social work, and a $1 million gift from her estate creates an endowment to assist generations of OU social work students who are following in her footsteps.
Mrs. Knee, who died in October 2008 at the age of 88, graduated with an OU degree in social work in 1941 and generously supported social work programs throughout her life.
Her estate gift supports the endowed fund established and supported by Mrs. Knee and her husband, Junior K. Knee, during their lifetimes. The fund is devoted to "bringing together divergent disciplines dedicated to the improvement of the human condition" and provides resources for the newly named Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work.
Mrs. Knee was a retired U.S. Public Health Service social worker and a founding member and two-term director of the National Association of Social Workers. She also was a co-founder of the association's Social Work Pioneers program to honor contributions to the profession. The association's Knee/Wittman Health/Mental Health Achievement awards were created to honor her and Milton Wittman for their contributions to the field and their standards of excellence.
Dr. Elizabeth "Betty" Rasmussen, Mrs. Knee's niece, noted, "Strong ties to the state of Oklahoma, to the University of Oklahoma, and to public service in the fields of social work and public health were strong motivators for Aunt Ruth and Uncle Junior, and they wished to carry forward their dedication to the future and to encourage others to support public service."
Mrs. Knee began her government career as one of the first psychiatric social workers in the industrial mental health clinic organized by the U.S. Public Health Service. She later fostered social work at Walter Reed Army Hospital and returned to PHS to provide leadership to numerous interdisciplinary research and program development initiatives of the National Institute of Mental Health.
Example bequest language - Please feel free to change the numbers or percentages as you desire.
1. Bequest of cash
"I bequeath the sum of $10,000 to The University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., 100 Timberdell Rd., Norman, OK 73019."
2. Bequest of a percent of the estate
"I devise and bequeath 20% of the remainder and residue of property owned at my death, whether real or personal, and wherever located to The University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., 100 Timberdell Rd., Norman, OK 73019."
3. Contingent Bequest
"If my brother John Doe survives me, I devise and bequeath 20% of the remainder and residue of property owned at my death, whether real or personal, and wherever located to John Doe. If John Doe does not survive me, then I devise and bequeath 20% of my residuary estate, whether real or personal property and wherever located to The University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., 100 Timberdell Rd., Norman, OK 73019."
You may print a Bequest tri-fold brochure. Voice of a Legacy or Will Your Will be Known.
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