For A Friend

This one is personal.

Kathy Slattery Phillips – "Slats" – worked in sports information at Dartmouth for 30 years, most of that as the director of sports information. She had numerous opportunities to move on over the years, including an offer from the PGA, but the avid championship golfer would never leave. Those of us who knew how much she loved Dartmouth and her work used to joke that one day she would die on the job. We never imagined that it would be true.

Kathy was delivering page proofs to the printer on a November weekend in 2007 when she had a cerebral aneurysm that ended her life at the way-to-early age of 55. (LINK)

When I became disenchanted with the newspaper business and dreamed up the crazy idea of starting BGA Slats was there for me. Ask anyone who knew her and they will tell you the same thing. She was always there for her friends. Not only did she support what I was trying to do, but knowing it was going to take time to get traction she went out of her way to send freelance work my way to help me make ends meet.

Andy Edison and Chuck Young, a couple of Dartmouth graduates who worked for Kathy as undergrads and are now successful lawyers, joined forces this year looking for a fitting way to honor someone who might have meant as much to their professional development as anyone with PhD after their name.

After batting around various ideas they settled on the installation of a plaque in the new football press box along with establishing the Kathy Slattery Phillips Fund at Dartmouth College in support of the sports information internship program at the school.

With the year running out I was reminded that this is the perfect time to support the push to honor someone who meant so much to so many. Here's the original letter Andy and Chuck sent out:

We're writing you about an effort to honor our mutual friend Kathy Slattery Phillips - an effort we hope you'll support.

Slats tirelessly promoted and mentored generations of Dartmouth co-workers and students.  Hundreds of student-athletes, from All-Ivy and All-America-level performers to the humblest letter-winners, found their accomplishments duly heralded because of Slats's skill and passion. She was a relentless worker, a gracious and generous host, and a loyal friend and advocate for those of us fortunate to have worked with her. She inspired a legion of media members with her quick wit, bright smile, and insightful advice. And she ultimately gave her life for the job, suffering the seizure and accident that led to her death while on her way to the printer to deliver her last work product.

We don't need to tell you any of that. But we do need your help to establish a lasting tribute to Slats.  As many of you know, the College recently renovated the west stands at Memorial Field and built a new, modern press box. The College will soon place a plaque in that press box recognizing Slats for her contributions to the College. It's a nice acknowledgment, but we want -- and Slats deserves -- more. We want to establish something tangible that will bless future students as Slats blessed us.

To that end, we are proud to announce the establishment of the Kathy Slattery Phillips Fund at Dartmouth College. A brief description of the Fund is attached. In a nutshell, the Fund's purpose is to support the internship program in the Varsity Athletics Communications Office. Many of us learned a great deal from Slats in that position, and our hope is that the Fund will enable future generations of Dartmouth students to learn some of the same professional and life lessons that Slats taught us.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 so we can create a restricted endowment that will last well into the future. Granted, that will not be easy; the people most influenced by Slats's legacy are generations of writers, publicists, and student-athletes whose means are not unlimited. But we are thrilled to share that an anonymous donor has stepped forward and offered to match the first $50,000 in contributions to the Fund. So it's like starting a drive on the 50 -- we are well on our way.

We welcome donations of any size (the larger the better) and each dollar you give will help create a lasting tribute to a wonderful woman. Donations can be made out to Dartmouth College (just reference "The Kathy Slattery Phillips Fund" in the memo line) and sent to:

Gregg Cerveny, Senior Managing Director
Dartmouth College
6066 Development Office
Hanover, NH 03755

We appreciate your time, consideration and support.  We look forward to your help and will keep you updated on this effort's progress.

Andrew Edison '91
Charles Young '88

Here's the follow-up that hit my "in" box yesterday:

All -

Happy holidays!  I wanted to provide one last push to donate to this wonderful cause before year-end.  Remember, all donations are tax-deductible.  Make your donation and get your 2015 tax deduction to honor this incredible woman.

Here are the step-by-step instructions to give online to the Kathy Slattery Phillips Fund using a credit card:

 1.  Using a web browser, go to this URL: https://giving.dartmouth.edu and select the GIVE ONLINE option (Make a gift now - every gift matters)
 2.  Check any box on the modal window such as The Full Dartmouth Experience (DCF) then click [Continue]
 3.  Enter the Amount of the Gift and then enter all of the required fields
 4.  Before proceeding to the Billing Information, click the down arrow to expand the "Other Instructions About Your Gift"
 5.  In the Instructions box, type or copy-paste this text: The Kathy Slattery Phillips Fund # 110931
 6.  Follow the instructions to complete your gift! 

Thank you very much.  A happy holidays to all. 

And go Big Green!! 

Many of you knew Kathy. More of you knew her work. Any help you can provide to honor her would be greatly appreciated by all of her friends who miss her.

Thank you.

-bw-