Longtime board member Curt Frasier supports Alumni Association for love of the institution
Each time the K-State Alumni Association approached Curt Frasier ’73 with an ask, it has been met with a yes. Not only a yes, but an enthusiastic yes.
“The asks have never been something that we probably would have said is just too much,” he said. “Because we enjoyed it.”
Over the years that has meant many opportunities for both service and support of the organization and the greater university.
After graduating from K-State with a degree in agriculture and earning a law degree from Washburn University, he and his wife, Sherry Basgall Frasier ’73, settled in Beloit, Kansas. Always a K-State supporter, he first started engaging with the university by helping found a Catbacker Club in Beloit. At its height the Beloit Catbackers met weekly to discuss K-State sports, held tailgates at home football games and regularly sponsored other outings back to campus including trips to see McCain shows.
This caught the attention of Alumni Association staff who asked if Frasier might be interested in serving on the Association’s board. Of course, he said, the answer was yes. So, his name was placed on a ballot and he was then elected by the membership to serve.
This would lead to a strong connection to the organization.
Frasier first served as a member of the Alumni Association’s board of directors beginning in 1992 for a four-year term. He then was elected as chair of the board from 1996 to 1997.
“I love to see what's going on at Kansas State,” he said. “The Association does a great job of keeping the board informed of anything new on campus. The board has exposure and can see what's happening. I've always enjoyed that. And, of course, board members are just exceptional. They're people that love Kansas State, love what's going on. That's been a great experience for both Sherry and myself.”
Following his service on the board, Frasier was asked to chair a committee to help the Alumni Association raise funds and build the K-State Alumni Center.
A successful fundraising campaign allowed the Alumni Association to build the K-State Alumni Center in 2002. The $12.7 million facility was dedicated in October of that year. More than 1,400 people donated to the effort. Not a single gift was over $1 million. Frasier along with Amy Button Renz ’76, ’86, then-president and CEO of the Association; the Association staff; fellow board chairs Lee Borck ’70 and Patty McDonnell Clark ’74; and several other board members who served on important project committees; worked tirelessly to raise the funds.
The Frasier family also supported the project through a naming gift of the fireplace in the Tointon Great Room.
The Center houses the Association’s offices, various meeting and event spaces and the Memorabilia Room, which allows visitors to take a walk through K-State history by viewing nostalgic artifacts, vintage clothing, and much more. The Alumni Center has hosted more than 12,500 events since its opening. It is known as a welcoming place for alumni, university and community events, as well as a stage where the Alumni Association has continued to grow.
Frasier then was asked to serve on the KSU Foundation’s board of directors. He later became its chair serving in that role from 2011-2013, which allowed him to rejoin the Alumni Association’s board of directors serving as their representative for those years. Frasier would serve in other volunteer capacities across campus including as a trustee of the KSU Foundation. Additionally he served as the first chairman of the KSU Charitable Real Estate Foundation which was established as a subsidiary of the KSU Foundation.
Once again in 2014 the Alumni Association asked Frasier to rejoin the board of directors as its treasurer. He held the role until May 2023.
Following his service on the board, Frasier was asked to chair a committee to help the Alumni Association consider the development of an alumni center and to raise the funds and build the K-State Alumni Center.
Curt and Sherry also supported the Alumni Association through a generous gift which established the Alumni Excellence Award, an annual award recognizing a graduate of Kansas State University whose career, service and achievements exemplify the spirit, values and excellence of the university.
Frasier notes that his support and service to the Alumni Association and K-State has been a blessing for both him and his family.
“The opportunity to be a part of something this impactful is something Sherry and I have appreciated and enjoyed doing,” he said.