Westmont Magazine Monroes Add to Their Legacy

Westmont has received a $3 million gift from the estate of a former professor and his wife.

Dr. Kenneth Monroe, who died in 1987, and his wife, Peggy, who died in February 2004, left the college more than $3 million. The money will fund scholarships for Monroe Scholars, up to four exceptional students who receive full-tuition assistance each year. It will also create a new endowed chair in a discipline to be named.

“What an amazing legacy Dr. and Mrs. Monroe have left,” President Stan D. Gaede said. “To provide ongoing support for a distinguished faculty member and some of the very best students — many of whom could not afford to come to Westmont — is a great gift, one for which the college is deeply appreciative.”

Monroe joined the faculty in 1945. His scholarship and teaching reflected the breadth of the liberal arts, with an emphasis in Mediterranean history and archaeology. He also served as academic dean, a trustee, and twice as interim president.

Chancellor David K. Winter, who served as president from 1976 to 2001, remembers the Monroes with deep fondness and gratitude for their contributions.

“Ken and Peggy Monroe were exceptional people,” he said. “They were leaders in many local organizations as well as on campus. He was a first-rate scholar and professor and was loved and respected by students and colleagues as well. They were warm personal friends to Helene and me, and we miss them very much.”

At his retirement, Monroe received the honorary titles of professor emeritus and trustee emeritus.