King's alumni 'connected for life'

A testament to King’s University College’s efforts to foster lifelong connections with the students, faculty and staff who once graced the London, Ont., campus is the approximately 40 legacy gift expectancies from alumni.

In September, the university college announced that Frank Schlichtherle of the Class of 1962 left a $1.5-million legacy gift for his alma mater, the largest single donation in the history of this Catholic liberal arts institution affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Robert Ventresca, the president of King’s University College, said “we knew that King’s was very much in his heart, but we did not know what the scope of things would be. It is certainly very moving for us that he left behind this transformational gift.”

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Schlichtherle passed away on June 14 at age 85. The longtime teacher of history at Cayuga and Caledonia High Schools became an annual donor for King’s University College starting in 1988. He expressed hope that his eventual legacy gift would go towards enhancing both educational opportunities and environments for students.

His request will be honoured. The funding will modernize classrooms, provide hands-on global learning opportunities and create a new experiential learning endowment for students. Schlichtherle will be the award’s namesake.

“For Frank, this is a crowning moment, a chance to give back to the place that helped shape who he became,” said Terra Ahrens, the executive director of foundation, alumni and development at King’s University College. “More than 60 years after graduating, his connection to King’s continues through a gift that reflects both his lifelong commitment to education and his belief in the transformative power of the student experience. His legacy will live on in the spaces where future students learn, the opportunities they pursue and the experiences that shape their own journeys.”

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The newly modernized classroom in King’s Wemple Hall is an example of the type of classroom renewal that Schlichtherle’s gift will make possible on a bigger scale. It features improved lighting, upgraded classroom presentation technologies for teachers and students and its layout promotes interactive and collaborative learning. Additionally, the room was conceptualized with accessibility in mind.

Ventresca said it's unfortunate he did not have an opportunity to encounter Schlichtherle in person, but came to know that they shared a love of studying and teaching history. One of the overseas learning experiences this legacy gift will support is a tour of the First and Second World War battlefields in Europe.

The experiential learning award named in Schlichtherle’s honour is expected to help students experience a trip like this and engage in meaningful hands-on learning experiences closer to home.

“The gift is very much connected to the idea of engaging students,” said Ventresca. “For some of them, it may be global learning, but there's lots of different experiential learning opportunities. Some of them are on campus, (others) are in the city and some are different ways of thinking about applied learning.”

Ventresca’s office has confirmed and documented over the past three years that there are two other legacy gifts of over $1 million committed to Kings University College.

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One of the guiding philosophies of King’s University College is “connected for life.” The aspiration is that if a student is empowered with the skills and the traits to build a meaningful career and life, he or she will feel inspired to forge an enduring connection with their school community.

“Estate gifts and legacy gifts have always been a fundamental part of (our) advancement and outreach work,” said Ventresca. "It reinforces our purpose, our identity and our mission, right, which is the whole of a student life journey.”

(Amundson is an associate editor and writer for The Catholic Register.)

A version of this article appeared in the November 08, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "King's alumni 'connected for life'".