Mary Atkins was widowed after a brief marriage to a wealthy real estate man. The shy, former schoolteacher quietly built her comfortable nest egg into more than a million dollars. When she died in 1911, she surprised the city by leaving $350,000 for the establishment of an art museum. For 16 years, the city wondered how to use the money in accordance with Atkins’ will.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has its origins in the generosity of two philanthropists: Mary Atkins and WilliamRockhill Nelson. A host of area philanthropists continue the tradition of building this treasured cultural asset.

By 1927, the gift had more than doubled, and when William Rockhill Nelson directed his wealth for the purchase of works of art, the executors of the estate of Mary McAfee Atkins join-ed The Nelson Trust to create the Nelson Gallery of Art and Atkins Museum. The building opened on December 11, 1933, and was later renamed The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

The Eppersons made their mark on Kansas City as a team. As the U.S. Epperson Land & Investment Company and later the U.S. Epperson Underwriting Company prospered, they raised a small fortune for charity. They combined their devotion to worthy causes and their love of music and founded the Epperson Megaphone Mastodon Minstrels. The group of 125 finely-tuned, top-hat-wearing performers marched, played and joked their way around town to raise funds.

When her husband died, Elizabeth blossomed into a patroness of the arts. She left her grand mansion, a Tudor-Gothic castle with a balcony for string orchestra at 5200 Cherry, to UMKC for classrooms.

As a young man, Ewing Marion Kauffman could only imagine the richness of the life he would lead. Returning to his hometown Kansas City as a young man after having served in the Navy, he wanted to provide for a family, be self-sufficient, and live in a safe and healthy community. Along the way, Ewing Kauffman became a great entrepreneur and went on to establish a major foundation to enrich the lives of others. “Mr. K” believed that hard work, dedication to principles and respect for people could lead to success. He proved it in the pharmaceutical company he built from an initial investment of $5,000 into a diversified health care products firm with annual sales exceeding $3 billion.

Kauffman’s entrepreneurial success enabled him to help others. His company, Marion Laboratories, provided jobs and economic self-sufficiency to thousands of people. He brought major league baseball back to Kansas City, boosting the city’s economic base, profile and civic pride. His most enduring gift, however, was to use his wealth to establish a foundation to help others live self-sufficiently in healthy communities.

The Kauffman Foundation is the 26th largest foundation in the United States, with an asset base of approximately $2 billion. The Foundation focuses upon entrepreneurship and education.

Through the Foundation, Mr. K hoped to give others a start on their journeys to fulfill their dreams. In the early years, the Foundation advanced innovative programs to encourage young people to stay in school and stay away from drugs. The Foundation evolved to focus on the systems to ad-dress social and economic problems, and work with partners skilled in their specific fields of interest.

Today the Foundation looks for grant-making partnerships in its Youth Development area to help children, young people and their families be fully prepared as contributing members of their neighborhoods and communities. Mr. K also recognized the economic dimension of self-sufficient people and healthy communities. The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Inc. is founded on the belief that entrepreneurs are essential to creating jobs and economic growth for all.

The Linda Hall Library, established through the generosity of Herbert and Linda Hall, is recognized as one of the most—if not the most—comprehensive science, engineering and technology information libraries in the world. Companies, academic institutions and individuals around the globe rely on its expertise.

The Halls lived in a large Georgian home located in the middle of what is now the UMKC campus. In the first half of the 20th century, Herbert made a small fortune in the grain business. Since the Halls had no children of their own, they hoped to pass their wealth along to the young people of Kansas City through the establishment of a free public library. They asked only that the library be built on the grounds of their estate, and that it be named to honor Linda, who died in 1938. Herbert died a few years later.

The Board of Trustees decided that the best possible use of that library would be to advance the cause of science and technology. The result is the Linda Hall Library, which many believe to be the best science library in the United States.