Elks Lodge donates $90,000 to CSC as post disbands

Officers of Chadron’s Elks Lodge No. 1399 on Wednesday presented $90,000 to the Chadron State Foundation. The money will be placed into two endowments designed to produce scholarship earnings for an infinite number of years.

Despite what had become a small membership, the lodge had considerable reserves accumulated from the sale of its large brick building at 247 Bordeaux Street and for the Elks Crippled Children’s Fund. Credit for the large size of the Crippled Children’s Fund goes to the late Hugh Miller of Oelrichs, S.D., and his family, who left $27,000 from his estate for that purpose.

When Elks Club members were discussing what to do with the money from its coffers upon disbanding, member Gil Nitsch of Chadron suggested a donation to Chadron State College.

The funds were given to CSC in two checks, one of $60,000, and another of $30,000. Earnings generated from the larger account will be awarded to CSC students throughout western Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas. The second endowment will provide scholarships for students with disabilities from those places.

“The money was generated locally, so we wanted it to stay in the community and continue helping the region,” said lodge member Lawrence Olson of Chadron.

CSC President Dr. Janie Park said the money will do just that.

“I really dislike the idea of losing an organization that has done so much good for Chadron and the surrounding region through the years,” Park said. “These funds, however, will continue to do an immeasurable amount of good for Chadron State College and the region it serves.”

Connie Rasmussen, Chadron State Foundation executive director, said that after the funds have been invested for a year, they are expected to generate about $3,600 annually for student assistance. That number is projected to increase as time goes on, she said.

Olson said the lodge’s membership had fallen from its peak of 1,500-2,000 in the early 1970s to 147 as of April this year. The decline prompted the organization to pursue a merger with Scottsbluff’s Lodge No. 1367. He noted that a change in the social climate has resulted in a similar fate for fraternal organizations throughout Nebraska and the United States.