Indeed he has. In the intervening years, Ken has donated $3.98 million to TRU and recently added $275,000 to increase all of his awards by 10 per cent to account for post-pandemic inflation. Ken has 17 student awards at TRU that are funded by his endowments, including a new award for software engineering. The 82-year-old also has awards in science, nursing, trades, business, law, education, animal health technology, culinary arts, tourism management, respiratory therapy and graduate studies. Ken started out as a chartered accountant, then entered the sand and gravel business with a client, Ron Bregoliss. From there, Ken became a landlord of multiple rental properties and has done well enough to donate substantial amounts to the various causes.
Their commitment was Limitless. University president Brett Fairbairn said he is proud that donors and alumni have shown how much they believe in TRU, its faculty and its students. “It’s impressive that so many people gave to the Limitless Campaign. It demonstrates the widespread recognition of TRU’s vital role in the future of our students, and in the future of our region and our province,” he said. TRU president Brett Fairbairn. Donations came from community members, alumni, companies, organizations, individuals and even students themselves, through the TRU Students’ Union and Society of Law Students. Longtime donors gave yet again because they understand the value of education and innovation, such as Spencer and Janet Bryson, Ken Lepin, Gwyneth Lamperson, Greg and Don Garrish, Frank Quinn, Roland and Anne Neave and family and so many more. New donors came on board, such as the Sisters of Saint Ann and James Bain of Lillooet, who left his estate to fund bursar
So he asked Wendy Marlow, executive director of the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice House, for a wish list.
Ken s response to the list touched Marlow and her staff as the local philanthropist picked three on the list to buy for the hospice. I was hoping for just one and then I got a phone call from Maureen. Hello, Miss Wendy, can you come for tea? And when I got there, Ken handed over a letter that had all three, Marlow said.
Ever the businessman, Ken added 20 per cent to the estimated cost for a ceiling lift, renovations for the families kitchen area and expansion of what Marlow called the facility s archaic storage system.