David Dean Lewis
“If we haven’t helped somebody as we go along, we haven’t accomplished any mission.”
David Dean Lewis chose to include OTC in his will. He had no dependents and wanted to make sure his legacy could help others. He wasn’t the CEO of a large corporation, nor did he inherit his wealth. He earned his wealth from working at Sears for nearly 40 years and living a frugal lifestyle. David lived in southwest Missouri his entire life and believed that an education could change a person’s future. His generous gift of $1 million for student scholarships will change the lives of generations of students and provide opportunities that otherwise would not have been possible. Born in 1988 in Rockaway Beach, Taney County, Missouri, David passed away in the Lewis family home in December 2009. His memory will live on in the hundreds of students his gift will impact.
Impact
Through his frugal living, upon his death, David was able to leave over one million dollars to each of three Southwest Missouri colleges to be used to fund scholarships to help Taney County students achieve their education. Mr. Lewis chose not to set up his own Foundation, and instead set up scholarship endowments at the three colleges and universities, College of the Ozarks, Drury University, and Ozarks Technical Community College. He asked the Board of Directors of the Roy W. Slusher Foundation to oversee the endowments, since both serve the same geographic area.
Additional information about David Lewis’s legacy can be found below:
The Lewis Family: A Gift to Generations
David Lewis Scholarships
Honoring David Lewis, a humble and helpful man
‘Nobody could leave a better legacy’