KC accepts $100,000 in donations to fund various college programs

KCdonation_sabine.jpg - From left, Sabine students Alex Easley and Lindsey McClain, Sabine High School Principal Eddie Shawn, donor Wenert Trich and Sabine High School Counselor Scotti Wood.

Kilgore College President Bill Holda is pleased to announce that the college has accepted donations totaling $100,000 from former KC student and long-time geologist Wenert Trich of Longview.

"It is so wonderful when we have people such as Wenert who are dedicated to the success of the educational institutions that are close to their heart," Holda said. "We accept this don with great pride, and are thankful for Wenert's generosity and continued support."

Of the donation, $50,000 will be used for improvements to the science laboratories in the KC-Longview North Building, $30,000 will be used to fund educational materials for the East Texas Oil Museum's "Got Oil Café" and $20,000 will be used to fund dual credit expenses for students from Trich's alma mater, Sabine High School.

Trich, a native of the Liberty City area, attended Sabine High School and graduated from KC in 1952. Trich said KC provided him the educational foundation that led him to a geology degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

From left, KC President Dr. Bill Holda, donor Wenert Trich and KC-Longview Dean Dr. Julie Fowler.

"Kilgore and Sabine are special places," Trich said. "It means so much to me that I am able to be in the position to give back to those institutions that helped make me who I am today."

Upon graduation, Trich worked for various oil companies in exploration and development, eventually deciding that he could be more efficient as an independent. He retired as a geologist in the 1980s, but continues to be an independent oil and gas operator and a passionate fundraiser for the Sabine Ex- Students Association.