The UW Foundation’s Gift Planning staff assists donors in integrating legacy gifts into their financial, tax, and estate planning objectives, maximizing benefits to both donors and the University of Wyoming. With smart planning, you can increase the impact of your gift and reduce the tax burden on your heirs, and/or you can receive an immediate tax deduction, life income, continued use of gift property, or elimination of capital gains tax—all while making a meaningful contribution to UW.
In the 1990s, Billie Jon Hacker met the love of her life Kyle King when he approached her about his 401(k) distribution. They both worked for the Salt River Project, an Arizona utility company. Billie Jon was in HR. They had both been married before and weren’t looking for relationships. However, after taking it slow they were married in 1999. Together, they established a scholarship for women students at UW, which arose because Billie Jon is a UW alum and from Kyle’s experience seeing, when he managed a call center, the challenges women face. In establishing this fund, Billie Jon and Kyle were charter members of the UW Legacy Society. Kyle passed away in 2021, and UW is forever grateful to him and Billie Jon for their kind generosity.
UW accounting and MBA alum Vince Siren has been a quiet but extraordinary supporter of the University of Wyoming. He gives to honor the people who have made a difference in his and other people’s lives. This includes his parents Sylvester and Edna Siren and his beloved sister Anne Siren Levig, all UW grads, as well as several UW professors. As an accountant, he uses various tools to make the broadest and deepest impact he can. Starting in 1967, he gave unrestricted gifts to UW through the UW Foundation that could go where they were most needed. He’s also supported several programs, everything from the Alumni Association to Cowboy Joe. In 2001, he established the Sylvester and Edna Siren Memorial Athletic Scholarship. In addition to cash donations and a bequest, he uses vehicles as charitable gift annuities and IRA charitable contributions (QCDs) to support several scholarships named for those who have impacted his life. He continues to support his family’s fund, the Siren Memorial Scholarship in history and foreign languages in honor of his parents, and he established the Vince Siren Energy Accounting Scholarship for students in the College of Business. Vince’s overwhelming support deserves our deepest gratitude.
Keener Fry’s energy is contagious. His smile is a mile wide, and he draws you in with his kindness and enthusiasm. He just retired from his position as executive director of the UW Alumni Association, and we at the UW Foundation are honored to have him join us as contract director of development. Prior to the Alumni Association, he served in UW Athletics as senior associate athletics director and for Cowboy Joe as associate director of annual giving. Before that, he worked for the accounting firm Arthur Anderson and Marshall University. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1981 with honors, earning his bachelor’s in accounting and then a master’s in sports management. Through it all, his rock has been his wife Lisa and their two sons, Joseph and Cameron. Keener’s dedication extends far beyond his work—he and his wife Lisa are including UW in their estates through the Keener and Lisa Fry Family University of Wyoming Alumni Association Excellence Fund, which fosters excellence and provides financial support to the Alumni Association.
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Brett BefusAssociate Vice President for Development |
