Schroeders Plan Their Wyoming Legacy

For Karen and Dean “Doc” Schroeder, the University of Wyoming is more than just a place of higher learning—it’s a community that has shaped their lives, one that they are deeply committed to supporting. One moment that the Schroeders will always cherish is standing on Jonah Field during halftime for Doc to receive the White Hat award—the Cowboy Joe Club’s prestigious honor presented only on special occasions in recognition of an individual’s outstanding support of UW Athletics and the Cowboy Joe Club.

Karen’s path to higher education was not a traditional one. Raised in Wyoming and Nebraska, she juggled work and raising two sons while slowly accumulating college credits at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. With the encouragement of her future husband Doc, who taught at LCCC, she completed her associate’s degree in business administration and then earned her bachelor’s in office administration at UW. She worked for Laramie County School District #1 for 28 years as an executive secretary.

Dean "Doc" and Karen Schroeder in front of the Breaking Through statue near War Memorial Stadium.

“I got my bachelor’s degree, and it was really a thrill for me because it took me a long time, but I kept plugging at it,” says Karen. “Having a bachelor’s degree opened a lot of doors for me. It opened up my world.”

Doc’s journey in education followed a different path. A native of North Dakota, he pursued his academic career at the University of North Dakota before earning a doctorate in psychology at the University of Northern Colorado. He served as a teacher at Cheyenne East High School, as a professor at Laramie County Community College, and in his own clinical psychology practice.

 

 

The Schroeders have been football season ticket holders since 1973. In fact, he and Karen met on a bus chartered to take football fans from Cheyenne to Laramie and back. “Coming back from a football game, I met this young lady who was there with a mutual friend of ours, and we started talking,” Doc says. “And guess what—50 plus years later we’re still talking.” He and Karen have been active members of the Cowboy Joe Club, and Doc served as its board president.

Education has always been so important to both Karen and Doc, and so giving back was a natural extension of their values. Their deep involvement with the UW Alumni Association and Cowboy Joe Club made them keenly aware of the challenges students face—both academically and financially.

The couple chose to create a lasting legacy through their estate plans. Their generosity will establish two funds: the Dean “Doc” and Karen L. Schroeder UWAA Scholarship, benefiting students with alumni family ties, and the Dean “Doc” and Karen L. Schroeder Athletics Excellence Fund, ensuring the continued success of UW’s student-athletes.

Their scholarship supports students who are family members of UW alumni, helping to sustain the rich tradition of a UW education across generations. Their excellence fund will ensure that UW’s athletic programs continue to provide world-class opportunities for student-athletes to excel both on and off the field. For Karen and Doc Schroeder, philanthropy is about more than writing a check—it’s about ensuring that every student has the opportunity to build a future as bright as the one they’ve created together. Their legacy at the University of Wyoming will live on in the students whose lives they impact, ensuring that the Cowboy spirit of generosity and resilience endures for years to come.

Like Karen and Doc Schroeder, you can make a meaningful impact by including UW in your estate plans—supporting the students, faculty, and programs that make this university exceptional. Contact us today to learn how your legacy can shape the future.

To talk over your options, contact Brett Befus, Associate Vice President for Development, at (307) 766-4259 or bbefus@uwyo.edu.

What’s your Wyoming Legacy?