Love for Iowa State Grows Through Family Experiences

Jim and Frankee Oleson, and Frankee’s father, Frank Horn, are some of the biggest Cyclone fans, especially when it comes to men’s basketball. They show their support to Iowa State both in the stands and through their philanthropy.

“We started going to basketball games when the crowds were a lot smaller. We really grew to love basketball and all of the Cyclone sports,” said Frankee. “Jim and I wanted to also show our support to the team financially so we established the Jim and Frankee Oleson Scholarship in women’s basketball.”

Neither Jim nor Frankee are Iowa State graduates, but they became avid Cyclone fans shortly after moving back to their home state from New York City in 1973. Initially, the decision to relocate was not easy.

“We were afraid that moving to Iowa would mean giving up all of the things we enjoyed: the arts, concerts, Broadway shows, but we wanted to be closer to our families,” Jim explained. “We fell in love with Ames and knew moving here was the right thing for us to do.”

Jim and Frankee took advantage of all of the cultural performances, athletics events and opportunities the university town had to offer. Frank and Dorothy Horn often drove from Cedar Falls to join them, especially for women’s basketball. Soon Frank and Dorothy moved to Ames so they could participate in all of the opportunities at Iowa State. Those experiences hold many special memories for the family and also had a strong influence on their philanthropic decisions. Jim and Frankee support many of Iowa State’s programs important to their lives: athletics, the arts, entomology, and the College of Veterinary Medicine Companion Animal Fund.

“We knew we wanted to have ISU be a part of our philanthropic giving. A few years ago we started working with a financial planner and the process helped us see that we were capable of giving much more from our estate than we realized,” said Frankee. “Because we felt so good about our estate plan, I talked with my father and encouraged him to think about his philanthropy.”

“I was a little reluctant at first. I thought our money should go to our children. But Frankee and I discovered our kids wouldn’t get much of the money because a portion of the estate would be heavily taxed, so it was better to make a philanthropic gift,” Frank said. “So I decided to support a basketball scholarship. It’s something our family enjoys together and it was a way of honoring the memory of Dorothy at the same time.”

Frank funded the Frank and Dorothy Horn Scholarship in women’s basketball. The gift was meaningful for the whole family and they all agreed that working with a professional financial planner and an ISU Foundation gift planner was both informative and enlightening.

“We like to give when we can and to causes we believe in,” said Frankee. “It was a learning process, something we put a lot of thought into. When we were done, we thought ‘Wow! This is our legacy."