Winkley's legacy of generosity
The Flathead Valley once again has lost a treasured philanthropist who gave generously to improve people’s lives not only here but across Western Montana. Jane Winkley died last week at age 77, but her legacy will live on.
The Winkley Women’s Center mobile coach was made possible by Winkley’s $1 million donation. It launched six years ago and continues to travel throughout the region providing mammograms and other crucial health-care services to underinsured women and those with no insurance.
The measure of Winkley’s generosity can easily be measured. Since its inception the mobile coach has provided 16,200 examinations, including mammograms and breast ultrasounds on 7,000 patients, traveling 170,000 miles. Most importantly, those exams have detected 91 cases of breast cancer.
Winkley and her late husband Jerry gave $600,000 to ALERT, which included money to seed an endowment fund for the medical helicopter.
The Winkleys gave of their time as well as their money to make the Flathead a better place by volunteering in many capacities. They won’t be forgotten.
An amazing gift for MSU
Generosity is also a word that will now forever be associated with the name Norm Asbjornson, who is making a $50 million donation to Montana State University’s College of Engineering.
That mind-boggling sum represents the single largest private gift in the history of the state.
Asbjornson, who is 78, graduated from MSU in 1960 with a degree in mechanical engineering. His training served him well, and in 1988, he founded AAON Inc. in Tulsa, Okla. Last year, the company, which manufactures industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, had annual revenue of $303 million.
Asbjornson said that “it’s an absolute must for everyone to give back to what made them successful.”
One thing for certain is that thousands of students in the not-too-distant future are going to owe an eternal debt of gratitude to Mr. Asbjornson for the huge part he will have played in their success.
Throw your hat in the ring
If you have a hankering for elected public office, you only have a couple of days left to file for office.
The deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. for candidates to file.
As of Thursday there still were no candidates for county superintendent of schools. In addition, only one of the other seven county races is contested.
For top county jobs ranging from sheriff to commissioner, only one candidate has filed.
On the other hand, the open clerk and recorder position is a popular one, with four candidates seeking the Republican nomination.
There are also many races for Legislature and other offices for you to consider. This is your chance to serve — or at least to run — so if you think can make a difference, head down to the county election office and pick up the forms.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.