Arndt

Biography

John D. Arndt established the Arndt Family Scholarship fund because he believes education is the solution to all the world's problems. The Arndt Fund provides University of Wisconsin- Madison undergraduate scholarships to deserving students who are in need of financial assistance; a priority is given to the visually impaired and students of color. This fund provides the largest number of needs based scholarship by an independent donor at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

Mr. Arndt has resided in the state of Georgia since 1960 but he has not forgotten his Wisconsin roots. Born in Wauwatosa and raised by Anna K. and Arthur Arndt, his parents made their livelihood by running a small greenhouse. The senior Arndt's depended upon their boys (Paul, Harold and John) to help keep their small business solvent during the lean years of the Great Depression. A parental expectation for the Arndt boys was to roll up their sleeves and work hard. The early developmental experiences in the greenhouse imparted upon Mr. Arndt that determination, hard work and perseverance were the key ingredients to attain his academic goals. Yet, despite this work ethic he still remembers the struggle involved to get his accounting degree from the UW. Not able to rely upon monetary assistance from home, Mr. Arndt met financial obligations by working for Red Dot Foods- Madison. However, at the start of his senior year he was given a special gift; the gift was a full tuition scholarship funded by an anonymous donor. This act of kindness left a lasting impression. It instilled upon Mr. Arndt the importance to give to those in pursuit of higher education, to provide people of merit the means to excel academically, and the financial means for an individual to reach his/her highest potential. The Arndt Fund also supports individuals in the professional realm. Through the establishment of the Anna K. Arndt Professorship, junior faculties in the UW Anesthesiology Department are provided resources to explore innovative projects as a method to improve clinical medicine. The following is a biographical descriptor stating the intent for establishing the Anna K. Arndt Professorship.

UW Foundation Donor Biography Name: John D. Arndt Fund Name: Anna K. Arndt Professorship UW- Madison Degree: BBA- Accounting Other academic Degrees: JD Emory University Atlanta GA

The honoree

Anna K. Arndt was born in Switzerland and came to the United States as a young girl in 1905. As most immigrants, her family’s decision to leave their homeland was founded on the pursuit of a better life and greater opportunities. She and her husband, Arthur, spent their life running a small greenhouse business growing cut flowers for Wisconsin’s wholesale market. Anna worked hard for her family to survive the depression as well as remain free of outside support. Anna always put her family first and she strived to impart on her children and grandchildren the traits, character skills and values to excel at life. She always impressed upon her family to do “first things first”, never quit, view adversity as an opportunity to learn, be organized, always be prudent and save for a rainy day. Even today, almost forty years after her passing, she has left a lasting imprint allowing her family to excel.

Why funding?

In today’s world, the obstacles to excel and innovate in academic medicine are daunting. Many of the greatest improvements in clinical medicine have come from individuals innovating. It is hoped that the Anna K. Arndt Professorship will inspire junior faculty in anesthesia to innovate as well as provide the resources to do so. Innovation in clinical medicine depends on drive, intelligence, resources and resourcefulness. The goal of this professorship is to give those with drive and intelligence the resources to succeed.

The gift

The purpose of the Anna K. Arndt Professorship is to allow people of merit to have resources to excel in clinical medicine and encourage innovation. It is hoped that this professorship will allow “outside the box” thinkers to have the resources to explore alternative methods for their practice. Medical professionals are often taught safe unanalyzed barriers to practice medicine based on dogma; the Anna K. Arndt Professorship is intended to inspire individuals to think in terms of principals to develop new and better techniques to improve clinical medicine.

Words of wisdom

Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have". It is hoped by funding the Anna K. Arndt Professorship that individuals receiving it will do more, make greater changes, and improve clinical medicine for having received this gift.

Moving forward

Some people are overachievers; many times they have to overcome great adversity. These people have inherent character traits to be resourceful and it is in their nature to be persistent, have foresight and the desire to not quit until their objective has been met. It is the hope of the Anna K. Arndt Professorship to allow this group to excel.