Creating a Lasting Connection to Quincy University

Peggy Magliari (left) and her late husband, Mags, established a scholarship to benefit QU students like Jack Widhalm (right).

It was in the classroom that Dr. Richard "Mags" Magliari found his true calling: teaching. In the early '70s, he applied for a position at Quincy College to teach in the Business Department. That job was the beginning of his 40-year-long career as a professor at Quincy University.

Mags was a unique individual and professor. Early in his career, he found himself at a crossroads. He had an interesting and challenging position as a marketing manager in the aerospace industry, but he did not feel fulfilled.

He was never known to be an easy professor but was known for caring about his students. He used to share with his wife, Peggy, how his students were doing in the classroom. If he had a student that was struggling, he would say to Peggy, "I've got to be better in the classroom, look at other materials and find other ways to communicate this." He also felt it was a mistake to think he was smarter than his students and during his career, he commented on how much his students taught him.

In response, his students respected and cared for him. Before central air conditioning, Mags mentioned to a student how hot his office was. The next day the student walked into his office with two window air conditioning units. Decades later, this student made the trip back for his funeral.

Students would often come to him after class and share what was happening in their lives. He saw the sacrifices students and their parents were making so that the students could earn their degrees. Before his passing, he and his wife, Peggy, discussed establishing a scholarship to assist QU students. Scholarships act as a cushion and fill in financial gaps for students.

In 2014, Peggy established the Dr. Richard C. "Mags" Magliari Memorial Scholarship as a tribute to his 40 years of service to QU. Peggy desired to follow through with her promise to him and contribute to his scholarship fund, but it has become much more.

"I didn't know I would have the feelings I do. It means much more than I anticipated," says Peggy. "There is a connection that lives on in "Mags" and QU students past, present and future."

Peggy believes establishing a scholarship in your estate plan is a good way to pay it forward.

"QU is unique. It's a beautiful campus in a unique city, with rich Franciscan values and traditions. It's pretty special, and I don't think you find those kinds of universities everywhere," says Peggy. "This warm feeling of connection to QU made us want to help future generations experience what "Mags'" students experienced."

John "Jack" Widhalm is one of those students. Jack, a junior from Columbia, Missouri, is a business marketing major and the recipient of the Dr. Richard C. "Mags" Magliari Memorial Scholarship.

"I truly appreciate the support and am making the most of my time at Quincy University to fulfill my goals," says Jack. "This scholarship is helping me complete my degree."

You, like Mags and Peggy, can make a difference for QU students. To learn how, contact Matt Bergman at 217-228-5221 or bergmma@quincy.edu.