MARGARET WOODS ALLEN GIVES SEMO $860,000

The late Margaret Woods Allen of Sikeston bequeathed $860,000 to the Southeast Missouri University Foundation through her estate.

The money will support programs in the Donald L. Harrison College of Business and the nursing and music departments.

"During Mrs. Allen's lifetime, she made a significant impact on the personal and professional lives of our students," said Wayne Davenport, vice president for Southeast Missouri State University advancement and the foundation's executive director.

Davenport said some of the money will be used to establish a piano program of national prominence and fund scholarships for talented piano students.

Another part of the gift will be used to establish a memorial to Allen's late husband, Thomas B. Allen, in the College of Business. This share of the money will finance scholarships and education trips by students to markets such as the New York Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile.

The bequest also will make funds available to the nursing department for study, research and courses in psychological mental health, including chemical dependency. The university's chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society also will benefit.

Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast's president, praised Allen's commitment to the school.

"Mrs. Allen did so much during her lifetime to enhance educational opportunities for students across so many disciplines here." he said. "She would be thrilled today to see the fruits of her generosity take hold at Southeast," Nitzschke said.

Allen died on Dec. 13, 1996.

An accomplished violinist, she established the Margaret Woods Allen Piano Scholarship in 1991.

In 1987, she received the Friend of the University award from the foundation. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the foundation.

Allen was a successful investor and author of "Widow's Might: A Survival Guide to Investing." Proceeds from the book benefit the foundation.