1996 RANKS AS SEMO FOUNDATION'S SECOND-BEST CASH-GIFT YEAR

Who were the athletes in 1963 who all wore number 32, and were all selected as the most valuable players in the their sports? What was the name of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki? How did the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation do in fund raising this year?

All of those questions and more were answered Thursday night at the 13th annual Copper Dome dinner at the Show Me Center. Copper Dome is a 3,000-member fund-raising organization for SEMO that brings in millions of dollars annually to support every aspect of the university, from athletics to campus enhancement to scholarships.

This year will be no exception, Dr. Kenneth W. Dobbins, SEMO Foundation treasurer, told the capacity gathering. Dobbins said fiscal year 1996 is projected to be the foundation's second highest cash-gift year since the inception of the organization in 1983.

"The members of the Copper Dome Society are the backbone of the foundation, and your generosity has made the past year a very good one," Dobbins said.

More than $2.65 million is expected to come in from the Copper Dome Society this year.

Last year contributions from the Copper Dome funded projects such as the construction of Dempster Hall, which will house a business and computer department and added the final piece that brought SEMO's business program into full accreditation. Copper Dome funds also have secured 200 endowment scholarships for the university, Dobbins said.

"Our students, many of them receiving financial aid, would not be able to attend Southeast without your generosity," he said.

Booster-level donations to the university increased more than 5 percent this year, Dobbins said. The President's Council membership, which requires contributions of more than $10,000 from its individual members and $25,000 from corporate members, also increased by 27 new members, he said.

Thursday's dinner featured a SEMO alumni who has made a name for himself in trivia. David P. Strauss, a teacher in the St. Louis area, has been named to the Trivia Hall of Fame in Boulder, Colo. He hosts a talk show on KMOX and entertained the Copper Dome Society at the dinner with anecdotes from his teaching, radio show and years as a student at SEMO.

The foundation also honored two people who have been instrumental in its development.

Don Ford was the director of development for the university from 1991 until his retirement this year. Ford developed programs and increased membership in the foundation during his tenure.

Robert Foster, who will be retiring March 31 after 13 years as the foundation's executive secretary and executive director, was responsible for increasing SEMO's endowment from $2.1 million to more than $10 million. Foster set up the policies that govern the investment of the foundation's funds.

Both Ford and Foster were honored with plaques and given a standing ovation from the Copper Dome Society.