News conference at CSC on Friday

Esther and the late Raleigh Pilster

Published:

A news conference will take place at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 20 at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center at Chadron State College to announce the gift of 3,731 acres of farm and ranch land located northwest of Whitney in Dawes County to the Sandoz Heritage Society.

The gift is being made by Esther Pilster, a retired Omaha school principal and widow of Raleigh Pilster, who grew up on the ranch, attended Chadron State and was an agribusiness educator in several Nebraska schools, mostly at Burke High School in Omaha. He died in 2002.

The land has been appraised at an average of $250 per acre, making the value of the gift $932,705. An option to purchase the land has been made with the current lessee, the Schuhmacher Ranch of Chadron.

The announcement of the gift and the plans for the use of the funds will be made by Ron Hull of Lincoln, president of the Sandoz Society, and Dr. Janie Park, president of Chadron State.

The press conference will be open to the public.

-College Relations

Category: Campus News