Archive for the ‘Hicks, Kelly’ Category

by Kelly Hicks, Stewardship Coordinator

Luisa Solarte ’98 was a senior Coca-Cola Manager in Colombia and a graduate of Thunderbird.  She was an exceptional person valued both for her business professionalism and her commitment to her home country of Colombia.  Tragically, she was killed in a terrorist attack that took place on February 7, 2003 in  Bogotá.  She believed passionately in what entrepreneurism and customer service could achieve in an embattled economy and society like Colombia.  She brought to her work all the skills and knowledge she had learned at Thunderbird.

This scholarship endowment is dedicated to Luisa’s memory by The Coca-Cola Foundation and to the furtherance of the hope and skills so much a part of her life.  We welcome you to add to this endowed scholarship or one of the many scholarships available to Thunderbird students, listed here.

by Kelly Hicks, Stewardship Coordinator

During the Thunderbird Global Council’s annual dinner in March, a number of Thunderbird students from China entertained us by performing a Chinese Fan Dance and a version of the Pass the Flower game.  In this version, the holder of the special flower was given a hand drawn piece of Chinese art done by one of our current students.  No one knew which was the special flower until the end.  After tossing the flower table to table, appropriately, the flower ended up in the hands of Thunderbird Global Council member Ian McCluskey ‘82 who had earlier in the day visited his late wife’s grave on Thunderbird’s campus.

Gayle came to Thunderbird in the Fall of 1981 to embark on a new adventure following more than a year of regular visits to the hospital for chemotherapy.  By the Spring of 1982, Gayle’s problems reappeared and more chemotherapy treatments ensued.  In August of 1982, Ian and Gayle were married.

A personal account by Professor Richard Mahoney says she was “achingly gaunt, but glowing in that was of hers.”  Gayle slipped away peacefully one evening the following August.  Her legacy remains at Thunderbird.  There is a plaque on a large pine tree located on the southside of the A dorms with a quote that was very special to Gayle.  And there is a scholarship, for students who have made significant contributions to the Thunderbird community and have financial need so that others may finish what Gayle had fought so hard to accomplish.  Read Ian McCluskey’s article here.

We welcome you to add to this endowed scholarship or one of the many scholarships available to Thunderbird students, listed here.

by Kelly Hicks, Stewardship Coordinator

The many scholarships at Thunderbird have helped countless students over the years.  Mr. Charles H. Mannel Sr. understood this better than most due to his tenure as Vice President of External Affairs from 1976 through 1990.

During his time here, Mr. Mannel and his wife Rose traveled the world to promote the School, raise funds, and attend First Tuesdays.  They also had various students living with them over the years while they completed their degrees.  Charles was the embodiment of the Thunderbird Mystique, and although he officially retired, he was unofficially an Ambassador of Thunderbird for life.  He recruited students and sold the value of the Thunderbird experience until the day he died.  When he passed away in February 2006, his son Charles Jr. (Class of 1982) and daughter Laura Kay Mannel-Harsh (Class of 1983) created an endowed scholarship for continuing students in the full-time MBA program knowing that their parents would appreciate the continuation of their wish to help others reach their goals through their education at Thunderbird.

We welcome you to add to this endowed scholarship or one of the many scholarships available to Thunderbird students, listed here.