Friday, April 27, 2012

Saint Mary’s University honors Kabaras with Heritage Award April 14

Betty Kabara receives the Heritage Award from Brother William Mann, president of Saint Mary's University.
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University recognized Betty and the late Dr. Jon ’48 Kabara Saturday, April 14, with the university’s first Heritage Award, presented during Saint Mary’s annual Benefactor Recognition Dinner in Winona.

The Heritage Award recognizes special individuals whose exceptional philanthropy has significantly transformed the university during its first century of excellence in education and whose gracious gifts help to dynamically position the university to boldly launch its second century.

The Kabaras, of Galena, Ill., founded the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies in 2005 at Saint Mary’s to ignite and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in students across the university and to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the importance of entrepreneurship in our society. Dr. Jon Kabara, a 1948 alumnus, dedicated his life to medical research. Regarded as an expert in the field of dietary fats and oils, Dr. Kabara served as a professor at the University of Detroit and later Michigan State University for more than 30 years. In 1969, he helped establish the first affiliated school of osteopathic medicine at Michigan State. An expert in the field of dietary fats and oils, Dr. Kabara has been awarded more than 16 U.S. and foreign patents and is credited with more than 200 publications, including eight books.

 Though Dr. Kabara passed away on March 24, 2011, Betty has furthered her husband’s legacy through her continued support of Saint Mary’s and the Kabara Institute.

The Kabara Institute, along with Saint Mary’s Business Department, sponsors business idea contests, business plan competitions, elevator pitch competitions and Entrepreneurship Week, which features guest speakers, symposiums, and round-table discussions.