Darlene and Eric (Ric) Knorr’s support for KU School of Medicine-Wichita has a familial feel to it. Nearly a quarter-century ago, the Knorrs started sponsoring the Knorr Family Health Lifestyles Lectureship at the school’s winter and spring family medicine symposiums.

“We have a daughter who was afflicted with an eating disorder, and that entered into it,” Ric said, adding that their daughter, Elizabeth, was successfully treated for the disorder. “As we went through that, we learned the importance of eating healthy.”

In 2007, the couple created a scholarship for medical students who have an interest in family medicine. Awarded annually to one or two fourth-year students, it’s named for Darlene’s son, Monte Maska, M.D., a 1993 graduate of KU School of Medicine-Wichita who practices family medicine in Springfield, Missouri.

“Dr. Maska is a perfect gentleman and exemplary family doctor, so the scholarship is very appropriately named,” said Rick Kellerman, M.D., professor and former chair of the Department of Family & Community Medicine.

The Knorrs recently worked with KU Endowment to document a planned gift to the school ensuring that both the lecture and scholarship will continue for years to come.

“I’m so thankful to get the opportunity to work with Ric and Darlene to document their planned gift,” said Brad Rukes, KU Endowment senior development director-Wichita. “With planned gifts, we don’t always get to visit with a donor while they are living and sitting down with Ric and Darlene allowed me the chance to learn more about their long-term wishes for their gift.”

It was a relatively easy process for the Knorrs as they already had us in their estate plans so all they had to do was complete a one-page document for us,” Rukes added.

The Knorr lectures have covered a wide variety of topics, from eating disorders the first year to new CPR techniques, diabetes, lipid disorders, e-cigarettes, sleep, depression and more. Physicians and other health care professionals from across Kansas attend in addition to KU Wichita faculty, students and residents. Indeed, it’s not unusual for the talks to draw more than 200 attendees. Pre-pandemic, most featured speakers were experts brought in from outside the state.

“Part of the idea is to infuse new ideas into the Wichita medical community,” Kellerman said. “COVID-19 disrupted that, but now we’re bringing experts from other institutions to Wichita again.”

Kellerman said the talks are designed to be practical in nature. “The target audience is community family physicians who want current medical information they can implement on Monday morning when they return to practice and see their patients. So the talks tend to be very practical, down-to-earth, that can be applied at the point-of-care.”

The Knorrs are known for wide-ranging charitable giving and community involvement. Ric is a Wichita native and retired insurance executive who served on the board of the Kansas Health Foundation and was president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Wichita. Darlene, a Hays native, is a businesswoman who has served on the boards of Hospice, Inc., Kansas Children’s Service League, Friends University and other organizations. The Knorrs married after the death of Darlene’s first husband, George, in the early 1970s.

Ric fondly recalls attending KU during the mid-1960s, glory days of its football program. “I was actually in class with (NFL Hall of Famer) Gayle Sayers,” he said.

“I graduated from KU and my wife is a Jayhawk by marriage, she says. In our younger years, we supported KU athletics. Then as we aged, we shifted our focus from athletics and the School of Business to the medical school. We want to support the things being done there.”

The couple is noted for attending the lectureship series, and it’s not unusual for Ric to hang around for the rest of the day-and-a-half symposiums. “In fact, many of the speaker topics are generated in discussions with Ric,” Kellerman said. “He'll ask about a certain medical condition or treatment and we will try to find an expert on that medical problem. He has a way of knowing what is pertinent."   

The symposiums are also where winners of the Knorr scholarship are announced. There have been about 24 since its inception. Kellerman said the students chosen “exhibit the values of family medicine,” including clinical competence, relationship and communication skills, and the whole “bio-psycho-social” nature of family medicine.

“Understanding you’re going to take care of a patient no matter what their problem is,” he said. “It’s primary care. It’s first contact and ongoing care. And so many medical problems relate to lifestyle.”

The next symposium is scheduled for April.

Kellerman said the Knorrs’ support goes beyond money. “It really sent a message to our faculty and to me personally that we had people out there who were philosophically supporting what we were trying to do in our department.”

And now it will continue.

“The Knorrs are living a legacy of care and support for our community,” Rukes said. “Their planned gift will perpetuate their generous investment in the health of Kansans for generations to come.”

Ric, a fitness buff, said he hopes the lectures and scholarships help doctors help their patients realize how lifestyle choices impact their health. While “some things are beyond control,” he said, proper diet and regular exercise can make a huge difference. “I look at some folks and think of the struggles they must be having. If we can live healthy lifestyles, hopefully that can help us overall.”

Planned giving

If you’re interested in learning more about leaving a planned gift to KU School of Medicine-Wichita or have one established, but not documented by KU Endowment, please contact Brad Rukes, KU Endowment senior development director-Wichita, at brukes@kuendowment.org.