Fund for Dad

 

By Jane France 
 
For University of Wyoming Alumni Association Board President Jane France, the UWAA has always been more than an organization — it’s been a significant part of her family story. Her connection began long before she joined the UWAA Board of Directors in 2017. Her parents, Dwight and Candace “Candy” France, served on the UWAA Board of Directors in the 1990s, instilling in her a lifelong appreciation for alumni engagement. Following her father’s passing, Jane and her mother established the Dwight H. and Candace C. France Excellence Fund, continuing their family’s legacy of service and support to the Cowboy community.

Jane says: “I worked as the UWAA Membership Services Coordinator from 2006 to 2011 while I was an undergraduate and law student. I really hadn’t looked for a job yet, but Robbie Darnall inquired to see if I might be interested, and a wonderful opportunity fell into my lap. I was responsible for processing all the UWAA memberships and providing data updates to the UW Foundation as well as helping with the board meetings and scholarship auctions. It was a perfect part-time job for a student because it was a fun place to work, the hours were flexible, and I had a little spending money. More importantly though, I got to meet dozens of incredible graduates from around the country who found it important to stay in touch with the university via the alumni association. They included board members, volunteers and, of course, the Distinguished Alumni and Medallion Service Award winners. I remain friends with many board members who I met while I was a student employee nearly 20 years ago.

“Working at the UWAA was especially satisfying when I was in law school. It was a place of calm when the stress of law school got to me. I could go to my office in the Alumni House, do my work and take my mind off my studies. It remains, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful buildings on campus.

“My affinity for the UWAA started when I was very young, as both my mom and dad served on the UWAA Board of Directors. I tagged along to many meetings and homecomings. When my dad passed away in 2022, my mom and I were humbled by the number of gifts given in his memory to the UWAA. We thought he would be pleased if we endowed a fund in his memory, the purpose of which is to support student interns working at the UWAA. It is named the ‘Dwight H. and Candace C. France Excellence Fund’ and has supported five interns since its creation. I know he would be very happy that we continued to support an organization that was so important to him and 
in a way particularly meaningful to us.”

The France family’s lasting dedication reminds us that the heart of the UW Alumni Association lies in the people who make it feel like home, generation after generation, and in the hands-on experiences that inspire future Cowboys to learn, grow and give back.